Worship: More Than a Song – A Spiritual Discipline of the Heart
A few years ago, a friend invited me to a surprise birthday party for someone he deeply admired. The plan was thoughtful and extravagant, gifts had been organized, favorite foods prepared, and the house filled with decorations. People arrived dressed well, buzzing with anticipation. But when the guest of honor walked through the door, something strange happened.
Instead of gathering around him, the guests slowly drifted into their own conversations. A few commented on the snacks. Someone started playing a game in the other room. Phones came out. Pictures were taken. But almost no one was engaged with the person the whole evening was about. He stood awkwardly by the table of gifts, smiled politely, and eventually sat alone in the corner.
It wasn’t intentional. No one meant to ignore him. But they did.
That party reminds me of how we sometimes approach worship. We arrive, we sing the songs, we go through the motions, but we often miss the whole point: God.
We can attend a service, raise our hands, and even say all the right words without truly acknowledging the Guest of Honor. And like the man at that party, God can be present, yet strangely unacknowledged by the people who came in his name.
This is why worship isn’t just about showing up. It’s about showing up with focus and intention. It’s about giving our full attention to the God who made us and loves us. Worship isn’t about songs or settings, it’s about hearts that see God’s worth and respond with joy.
Jesus said plainly, “Worship the Lord your God” (Matthew 4:10). Psalm 95:6 calls us to come and bow down, to kneel before the Lord, our Maker. Worship is not optional for those who want to follow Christ, it is essential. It is what we were created for.
But even in worship, we can drift. We can honor God with our lips, while our hearts are far away (Matthew 15:8–9). It’s possible to do all the right things and still walk away unchanged. This is what Scripture calls “worship in vain.”
So the question isn’t Are we worshiping? The question is Are we worshiping in a way that honors God and shapes our hearts? That’s where the discipline of biblical worship begins.
Worship Is Not Optional for the Christian Life
Jesus made it clear: “Worship the Lord your God” (Matthew 4:10). It’s not a suggestion or a side quest, it’s a core part of what it means to follow him. Psalm 95:6 invites us, “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!”
Worship isn’t just about fulfilling a religious obligation. It’s the posture of a heart that sees God’s worth and can’t help but respond.
But Jesus also warned that we can do all the right things externally and still miss the point: “This people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8–9). God called it worship, but worship done in vain.
So how do we avoid that? How do we worship God in a way that truly pleases him?
Worship Is Focusing On and Responding To God
Real worship is hard to define, but once you see it, you know it.
It’s the moment Thomas saw the resurrected Jesus and cried out, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). It’s the throne room scene in Revelation, where creatures and elders fall on their faces, casting their crowns and shouting, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God” (Revelation 4:11).
Worship happens when we see God for who he is and we respond. That response may look like singing, silence, joy, tears, or awe, but it always starts with seeing God.
That’s why the root of the word “worship” comes from “worthship”, ascribing worth. And God is infinitely worthy. The more we focus on him, the more our hearts swell with the desire to respond. Like seeing a sunset so breathtaking you stop mid-sentence or standing at the edge of the ocean and forgetting what you were worrying about just moments ago.
But unlike those moments of wonder that fade, the worthiness of God never changes.
Worship Flows From Revelation
Here’s the challenge, we don’t see God physically in front of us. So how do we focus on him?
God has chosen to reveal himself in two primary ways: through creation and through Scripture.
Creation stirs our awe, the mountains, the sky, the rhythms of life. But Scripture is where we see his heart. The Bible isn’t just a rulebook or a theology manual. It’s God’s self-revelation. When we open it, we are opening his thoughts, his character, his love story to humanity. And if we take the time to read, meditate, and listen, we will see him.
And when we see him, we respond in worship.
This is why Bible reading is at the center of both private devotion and public worship. Scripture awakens our eyes to God’s worth. The songs we sing should echo biblical truths. Our prayers should rise from what God has revealed about himself. Even baptism and communion are visible reminders of his work. Everything in true worship is about helping us see God more clearly, so that we might respond more fully.
But here’s the sobering truth: if we aren’t focusing on God, we aren’t worshiping.
You can sit through a solid sermon, sing your favorite worship song, and even serve at church, but if your heart is not fixed on God, it’s all just noise. Worship must engage your soul. It’s a matter of attention and affection.
Worship Is Done in Spirit and Truth
In John 4, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman something revolutionary: “The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth… and the Father is seeking such people to worship him” (John 4:23–24).
Worship is both heart and head. Spirit and truth. Emotion and theology.
You can’t worship without the Holy Spirit dwelling in you. Worship in spirit means it flows from the inside out, it’s sincere, alive, and filled with affection. But it also must be grounded in truth. Truth is the compass that keeps our feelings aligned with God’s reality.
We don’t get to invent our own image of God and worship that. True worship is shaped by the God of the Bible, who is loving and holy, merciful and just.
Worship Is a Joy, Not a Duty
You don’t bring your spouse flowers and say, “Here, it’s my duty.” That’s not love, that’s obligation. Worship isn’t checking off a spiritual box. It’s the soul saying, “There’s no place I’d rather be than with you, Lord.” Yes, it’s a discipline, but it’s also a delight.
The Psalmist got it: “Delight yourself in the Lord” (Psalm 37:4). That’s worship.
And even when we feel dry, even when we don’t feel like singing, we keep showing up. Because often, the breakthrough comes in the act of obedience. We press in, and somewhere in the middle of the prayer or the song, the Spirit stirs our heart again.
Don’t Give Up in the Desert
There will be times in your Christian walk when worship feels hollow, when every church service feels like a routine and every devotional time feels like going through the motions. Don’t give up. Don’t stop singing. Don’t stop showing up.
Keep your eyes fixed on the God who is always worthy, even when we don’t feel it.
Because sometimes, you’re only one more step away from an oasis. You might be closer than you think.
Next Time:
We’ll continue exploring the spiritual discipline of worship, what it looks like in community, how to practice it in your personal life, and how to grow in it when the feelings don’t show up. Until then, keep your eyes on Jesus and your heart tuned to his worth.
You were made to worship. So worship well.