The Heart of Worship

This song has been ringing in my spirit for the past few weeks and I can’t move past it. And as I’ve been singing it’s become a part of my meditation. It has made me reflect on what the heart of worship truly is. 

What the Lord requires of us is our heart. He wants first place, to be our all in all. We see stories of worship throughout the Bible highlighting the kind of worship that moves the heart of God. 

It’s not about the amount, or even the seeming quality of the offering, but it’s always about the heart posture.

The first mention of worship in the Bible comes from Genesis 22, where Abraham offered Isaac up as an offering to the Lord. We know that Abraham was a very wealthy man, he had livestock to spare, great abundance, crops, finances etc. 

When it came time to test Abraham the Lord could have asked for any of his livelihood but what the Lord asked of him was his son. His only son, the most precious thing to him. Abraham’s reaction wasn’t one of offence or rebellion but he recognised that El Shaddai, God Almighty was worth even the most precious thing to him in that moment. 

Moved by Abraham’s willing worship God provided a ram (adult sheep) in the bush which is where we first see the name ‘Jehovah Jireh’ (or Yahweh-Yireh) meaning ‘the Lord will provide’. I love how the author of Hebrews expands on this offering, citing that Abraham had so much faith in God that he reasoned within his heart that God would bring Isaac back from the dead. (Hebrews 11:17-19)

You see, it isn’t about the size of an offering, it’s about our heart posture before the King. 

So I ask, what is sitting on the seat of your heart? 

Is it the career, marriage, wealth, family? All things that have been given to us as a gift from the Lord which have now taken residence within our hearts.

The pre-chorus of this song always touches me:

‘I’ll bring You more than a song,

For a song in itself is not what You have required’

You see, God doesn’t require the song or any song for that matter, He wants our hearts. To be the King of our hearts. To reign supreme in and over our lives. 

‘You search much deeper within, 

Through the way things appear. 

You’re looking into my heart’

God looks beyond the outward appearance, beyond the religious jargon and straight into our hearts.

David writes in Psalm 19:14 NLT:

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

And may that be our prayer, that the words of our mouth and the meditation of our hearts would be pleasing to Him. 

When Mary brought her alabaster box and broke it at Jesus’ feet. It wasn’t the cost of the oil that moved Jesus’ heart in that moment. Although it was very costly, equivalent to about one year’s worth of wages. It was the fact that she was willing to spend it all at His feet. To lay it down as a sacrifice to Him. (John 12:1-8)

She recognised the value of the One before her, that He was worth all that she could give and even more. 

What we offer as a sacrifice becomes a gateway for His presence and sacrifice simply means a surrender of something of value as a means of getting something more desirable.

When we offer our lives to Him, laying our lives on the altar ready to receive more of Him, we avail ourselves to become gateways of His presence. He is that more desirable thing, worth more than anything and everything else combined.

The beautiful thing about all of this is that He is in the business of responding to worship, true faith and trust in Him to be able to do big and great things with the little we have. When we bring something to Him, we are indicating that we desire nearness. 

It is in Him that we live, move and have our being (Acts 17:28), worship is what we do. Worshippers receive the best, they access today what is reserved for tomorrow. Worshippers always get favour, they get access to things reserved for a later time. If you're found as a worshipper He will lavish favour and blessings upon you.

He is devoted to us wholeheartedly, loves us endlessly. When we respond to Him with love we are only giving back to Him what He has already freely given to us through His perfect sacrifice and as we do, we see that what He gives back is always better.

Let’s come back to the heart of worship, offering our lives to Him daily as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). Eyes fixed on His beautiful face, rooted and grounded in His perfect love for us (Ephesians 3:17-19). Where nothing else matters and nothing else could ever do.