The Heart of Worship...

          A few Saturdays ago I went to a women’s  prayer breakfast. One of the worship songs that caught my attention was “Heart of Worship”. It speaks about worship being more than just a song we sing. 
        As I thought about it, various things came to my mind. I know worship isn’t really just about a song or music, it’s so much more. We can so easily get caught up in a melody, in the musical arrangement of a song. Our emotions may soar high and we may even feel as if we are in the very throne room of God. But what usually happens when the song ends, when the “praise and worship” session in church ends? We go back home and the problem that we left is still there. The stress is still there, the frustration is still there, the hurt is still there. We may feel temporary relief but it’s all still there. What about unforgiveness and anger? Those feelings may seem to go temporarily during the singing, but they are still there.
         I was reminded at that moment as I sang that song that my true act of worship to God was not how I lifted my hands and worshiped God; it wasn’t how heartily I sang the songs at that time. My true worship was indeed how I conducted myself in my daily life. It was and is the times I choose to love someone who is difficult to love; it’s the times I choose to forgive when it doesn’t seem fair; it’s the times I choose to give sacrificially my time or finances to some worthy venture. It’s the times when I choose to obey God when He gives me some specific task or command that may be difficult to follow. 
        Yes, my true worship to God is what I DO in my everyday life that brings honour and glory to Him – even when it is difficult to do so. It’s saying: “God I will obey you because I love You. I will forgive, I will love, I will help that person who doesn’t deserve it, I will carry out that task that seems so difficult, JUST BECAUSE ‘I love You’.” And when our obedience to God is hinged on our love for Him, that’s our true act of worship. Our singing, therefore, is simply an extension of what we are already DOING! We can now truly honour God because we are seeing how He is enabling us to obey Him, enabling us to do the right thing and we are seeing the blessings that follow just because of our obedience to Him. As I like to say it these days: "God I’m doing this YOUR way.”

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