For years I’ve felt like worship in the church, and as a genre, had fallen away from its true purpose.
Wow, that’s a bold statement to begin our day with.
I can’t tell you how many times I was leading worship for a church service and suddenly would realize that it wasn’t really doing anything. People had stopped truly worshiping and instead acted as though they were at a concert. The heart of that body was moving away from Godly reverence to celebrating the leaders. It grieved me to the point of making huge change. Walking away. Leaving it all behind and returning strictly to the quiet place. Just me. Just Him. True worship.
True worship leaves me behind as I become wholly focused on God. True worship causes me to stop thinking of myself and to only seek Him. True worship is when I become so focused on God that I stop noticing others around me.
It’s all about Him. If it’s not, then we are worshiping something else. Usually, ourselves.
Yes, I said it. So much of current worship culture, in church and on the radio, worships self over God.
Worship wasn’t mean to be a business. It was meant to be an offering to God. It’s us walking in our authentic purpose…we were made to worship.
If you are worshiping all the world should melt away. It’s you and Him. It’s you laying aside all pride and self-importance and saying, “God, You are worthy of it all.”
In this long season of refining, I have stopped using the bulk of the “worship” songs that I used to sing. I just can’t stomach them anymore, as I realized they were so self-focused. I just didn’t notice it originally because the church accepted them, and I naively believed that the church knew best.
I don’t believe that any longer. I believe the bulk of the current church is living under deception and worship of self.
Is this a harsh word? Maybe. But it’s not untrue. If it provokes one of you to consider the state of your heart, then it’s worth it to offend a few. The cost of self-worship is far too high. I don’t want any of us to pay it.
Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus: “Worthy is the Lamb Who was slaughtered- to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.” And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: “Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.” And the four living beings said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb. Revelations 5:11-14
The wild animals honor Me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to My people, My chosen, the people I formed for Myself that they may proclaim My praise. Isaiah 43:20-21
365 Days in the Presence 