Recently, I was discipling some new believers, and it greatly caught my attention that one of them said: “God at no point created man so that he would worship Him.” I know this person did not properly construct what he wanted to say; possibly what he meant was that God remains God even without our worship, and this is indeed correct. In this article, I want us to reflect on the following 7 verses that deal with worshiping God from the heart. Let us clearly remember that God told the people of Israel that they worshiped Him with their lips, but their hearts were far from God:
1 – John 4:23–24
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Without any doubt, this class of believers of whom Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman refers to Christians, to those of us who have been bought at a high price, bought with the blood of Christ. It is not only necessary that we worship Him, but that we do so in spirit and in truth, which speaks well of a believer who gives himself to God from the heart and possesses a full knowledge of who God is through His Word.
2 – Psalms 86:12
I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.
In this Psalm, King David expresses his desire to praise God, not a superficial worship, but one that comes from the heart. David also knew that it was not a worship based on two minutes of his life, but something he would have to do throughout his entire life, and he delighted in it. May this also be our delight: to worship God forever.
3 – Psalms 9:1
I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
At the same time that we praise God with all our heart, we must each day think about the good things He has done for us personally. I mean that, in the Bible, we see all His wonders, but those wonders, just like the psalmist, we can also recount through how good God has been to us. You may write in the comments some thanksgiving to God for what He has done in your life.
4 – Isaiah 29:13
Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
May we not fall into the misfortune of belonging to a congregation yet not being united under the same spirit in worship to God, a worship from the heart. May we not fall into seeing worship as a trend, because worship goes beyond songs; it represents a life that lives for God.
5 – Matthew 15:8
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
On this occasion, Jesus is quoting the prophet Isaiah to give a teaching. The Pharisees, in truth, were outwardly impressive and kept certain customs, but inwardly they were not; and for this reason Jesus uses this passage from Isaiah, sending the message that it is of no use to pretend to be clean on the outside when your heart is far from God.
6 – Psalms 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Oh, beloved brother, do you believe that a heart that truly seeks God, in humility, is despised by God? Truly, no! Can you imagine how incredible it is that, being such inferior beings before a God who transcends space, He would condescend to be our Father? Glory to God!
7 – Hebrews 10:22
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
God knows every fiber of our being, our thoughts, our heart; there is nothing about us that God does not know. Therefore, when we draw near to Him, we must do so with complete sincerity. We must also draw near with faith, knowing that those who seek Him will find Him.
Conclusion
Ultimately, we were not created for anything other than the praise of the name of God, for His glory. Let us live a life that shows that we are children of God, elevating worship to a way of life; and let us remember something: this is simply a rehearsal—one day we will be for all eternity praising the One who is three times holy.