The Heart Of Worship

What is worship? Usually when we hear that word, the first thing that pops into our mind is music. Music can be a very powerful expression of worship, but is that all that it is? Let's look at Genesis, chapter 22. In this portion of scripture, Abraham is taking his son Isaac to the land of Moriah with the intent of offering him as a sacrifice in obedience to God. In verse 5, Abraham says to the young men that are with him, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you." This is the first time that the word worship is used in the Bible. Why did Abraham use this word? What was he planning to do?

It is obvious that he was not planning to go to the top of the mountain and have some type of musical celebration. He was going there to lay his son, his only son, on the altar and give him to God. Isaac represented Abraham's life. His life was wrapped up in his son. God had blessed Abraham richly in material goods, but Abraham had asked God what good is all this stuff if he had no son, no heir, to pass it on to? Isaac represented all of Abraham's desires, all of his dreams, everything that he lived for. That is what he was willing to place on the altar.

That is what true worship is. It is when we place our lives on the altar; all of our dreams; all of our hopes, and all of our desires; and give them to God. It is when we say, "My life is not my own. Here it is God, I give it to you." Our worship is our life lived in dedication and consecration to God - to His will, His plans, and His purposes here on earth. True worship is when we give God everything! That is what Abraham did when he offered Isaac.

So where does music come in? When we have given God our lives, our talents, our dreams and our desires, then when we praise Him with song, it is a beautiful act of worship. It is the condition of our heart that determines the value and quality of our offering. Our songs become an act of worship as we magnify, exalt, and thank Him for all that He is, and all that He does. It is more than the music... it is the desire of our heart. It is all of us crying out for all of Him! It is a longing to be with Him, and a longing to be like Him. Worship is our life! It is how we live everyday, every moment of the day.

Those of us who are musicians should be continually asking ourselves, "Why am I singing?" "What is my motive?" "To whom am I singing?" "Who is my real audience?" There is the natural side of music, the mechanics, the practice, the schedules, the deadlines, etc. But when it comes time to stand before God and the people, let us always remember that true worship is more than just a few moments spent in front of a group of people... it is our life, and the the songs that we are about to sing should be a reflection of that life and our desire to be more like Him. If that is our motive and our goal, then our music will be a sweet smelling savor unto Him. That is the heart of worship!