What Is The Point Of Worship?
True worship doesn’t end when the singing stops. It continues in the way we live and love.
What Is The Point Of Worship?
My heart has been drawn toward the book of Proverbs lately and I was reminded of this verse:
Proverbs 21:3
“To do righteousness and justice is desired by the Lord more than sacrifice.”
Many sincere Christians would probably say that the highest expression of the Christian life is kneeling before God in worship. What could possibly be more beautiful than that?
Well, Proverbs has something to say about that, doesn’t it? According to the book of Proverbs, sacrificial worship is not at the top of the list. That surprised me when I read it because worship is a big deal to me.
Proverbs gives us these two words to think about: righteousness and justice. What Solomon is telling us is that God values a heart that is clean and that loves accordingly above all else. This is not just an isolated verse, either. David, Isaiah, and Micah all remind us that God desires transformed hearts more than empty rituals. Here’s what Micah says:
Micah 6:8
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
That leads us to ask this question: what, then, is the point of worship? Is it to appease God? Do we worship so that we can feel good? Is worship just an excuse to get together with other Christians?
According to the Bible, the point of worship is to come before God as broken people, showing Him our love and thanking Him for what He has done. (Read Psalms 95)
True worship doesn’t end when the singing stops. It continues in the way we live and love.
Psalms 51:17
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”
True worship cleanses hearts and changes lives or it has very little meaning at all. God desires righteousness and justice every bit as much as sacrifice and worship. So, the next time you are worshipping God, make sure to ask yourself if your worship is meaningful to Him.
Do your actions reflect His love? Do other people see God in you? That’s the change God is looking for.
