I am lying on the bottom bunk in the dorm of the college that my middle son, Steve, plans to attend this coming fall. At the moment it is but bare walls and hard tile floors. Excellent acoustics. He is in the common area practicing for his audition tomorrow. What I hear is what touches my heart today—the sounds of worship.
The melody is a contemporary sound that resonates through the empty room, fills the air, and stirs the soul. It isn’t just a song or a strum on the guitar. It is a heart cry and passion for the glory of God. I love (and I am sure I am bias) to hear my son sing, but I revel in his expression of worship. So what are the sounds of worship? They are the heart cry of every individual who falls before the throne of God and submits their lives to him.
The expressions of worship are many and often debated, but God desires a heart that longs for Him and is willing to set everything aside to give credit to Him. Worship is a natural part of the human condition. Sin has warped it and man now worships his idols. In the days of old the idols were made of wood and stone, but today they include money, power, and self. Man worships his possessions, his hobbies, his time, and even his family. Worship is when we lay everything at the foot of the throne. The question is who/what sits on the throne.
Idols of worship can be insidious. Over this past year I have allowed my own idols to creep in and push God off His throne (I speak as a man). Mine have been self-pity and doubt. Being unemployed can cause a man to question his significance and then blame his circumstances on God. And if I haven’t blamed my circumstances on God then I have blamed Him for not relieving me of them. It has been easy to dismiss Him and then replace him with my own self-abasement. I mean surely I am due. Have I not served Him well? Do I deserve such treatment? If He is to dismiss me then I will merely dismiss Him?
God is patient. That works in my favor. He deserves worship, longs for worship, but He doesn’t need worship. Therefore, He is able to patiently wait for me. Jesus died so that God’s patience would not mean my condemnation. Rather, as He works in my heart, that is so prone to wonder, the worship He receives is because of His grace. And in His grace the worship and glory is so much richer.
I hear something echoing; resonating in the deep recesses of my heart. It is filling the throne room of the king. It reaches His ears and I see a smile. He closes His eyes and He revels in the worship of his child.
