Worshiping the Lord is not a theatrical performance but having a heart that is submissive to His Word.
John 4: 22, 23 “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
God did not bless me with the talent of singing or dancing. For the longest time I felt like “I could worship the Lord better if you could sing or dance.” I asked the Lord several times to bless me with the talent to sing. To be honest, it was not just that I wanted to praise the Lord but also because I thought people who are part of the worship team are cooler than the rest of us. Worship team is the jocks and cheerleaders of the church. I wanted to be part of them. The Lord did not answer my prayer. I wanted to jump up and down or dance during good songs but my fat body prevents me from jumping without making a spectacle of myself. Occasionally I get tearful about my inability to carry a note in a bucket. This morning was no different as I was trying to sing and dance to praise and worship music.
Just like Asaph, I got bitter until I surrendered to the presence of God. God did not say, “You must sing with perfect voice. You must dance perfectly.” In the Old Testament, a person with physical disability was not allowed in the temple. This meant the blind, lame, persons with certain illnesses were not allowed to come to the temple. However, because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, my donkey braying voice and fat body, someone on a wheelchair, persons with any illness are all allowed to come to God. If such a person believes in their heart and confesses with their mouth that Jesus is their Savior, they BECOME the temple. Once not allowed to be in the tabernacle becomes the temple!! Oh praise be to the Lord Almighty who turns the unworthy to be worthy! God does not turn His face away from my horse singing but delights in me.
Worshiping the Lord in truth requires you to know God. Knowing Jesus requires learning the scripture regularly and spending time in His presence. We go on dates with someone before marrying that person so that we get to know them. Parents spend time with children so that they know each other well. Husband and wife spend time together to continue to know each other. If you spend that much time learning about that person, how much more time should you spend in the Word learning about the God who loves you so much that He gave His Only Begotten Son to die for your sins. Setting some alone time with scripture daily is a great way to learn about the God who loves you deeply. He is committed to this relationship. Now the question becomes how committed are you in your relationship with God? If you do not know God in such intimate manner, you may get swayed by fancy words of a heretic and be part of wrong crowd. Be like the Bereans who tested sermons and teachings against the Scripture.
With all that being said, God however has not changed one requirement – Holiness. We are to wash our garments clean in the blood of Christ. When a sinner repents, the Lord answers him. It is not how melodious the song is the standard of worship but He is more interested in your heart. Spiritual worship is presenting ourselves to the Lord as a sacrifice that is holy and acceptable according to His Word. He is not interested in your performance but, how is your walk with Him?
Romans 12: 1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
My fellow siblings in Christ, do not worry about your outward appearance but consider aligning your heart to His Word.
God bless.
– Liz
