Psalms 81.9,10 There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
I have come to a belief that one of the strangest “gods” that the people of God worship IS worship. Churches and denominations have been split over the styles of worship. Terms like Orthodox Worship, Contemporary Worship, Liturgical Worship, Youth Worship, Rock Worship, Country Worship and so on and so forth. Worship with or without instruments. Worship with only acoustic instruments. Am I the only one getting confused here? It is one thing if these terms are used to identify a style or preference of worship. But I fear that in many cases, we can become dangerously judgmental when it comes to “how” others worship God.
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. True worship is for an Audience of One. True worship comes from the heart and is directed to God. It can be silent, or it can be what the Scriptures call a shout. It can be offered up on your knees, or it can be offered standing up. It can offered up in your car, your man cave or the local church sanctuary. It can be made with lifted hands, or it can be made with a bowed head. The key is not the position of the body, or the location, or the volume of the voice or music, but the position of the heart. True worship is inspired by The Holy Spirit and is a loving response of adoration to the truth of the gospel that has been brought to life in my heart by God. Beloved, the only wrong way to worship God is in an irreverent heart. Not everything that looks pristine and squeaky clean on the outside is necessarily worship.
The sacrifices of God are a broken and a contrite heart. When we sing or play unto God with those necessary ingredients of a broken and contrite heart, I doubt that God notices the volume or whether or not you have an instrument in your hand. The circumcision of God describes those who worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. If that is you, open your mouth wide, and God will fill it with the kind of praise and adoration that pleases Him and gives Him glory. Now, do you worship God, or do you worship worship?
