By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo
Isaiah 29:13 "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near [me] with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:"- KJV
Worship is adoration, an expression of love, loyalty, submission, allegiance… The battle in heaven that saw Lucifer(now Satan, the devil) and a third of the angels(now demons) rebel and thrown out, centred on the worship. He wanted to take God’s place in worship. He made man fall from glory with God as he sought to shift man’s allegiance from God to himself. Upto now that is what Satan fights for.
God expects us to worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). As we worship, He expects us to do it with all that we are; body, soul and spirit. Short of this, it will be divided loyalty, which is hypocrisy. That’s what Israel had failed in. They had redefined how to worship God, and did it halfheartedly. God detested it. Their mouth spoke and sung what sounded like expressions of worship to God. But their hearts (which God considers most) were not loyal to Him any more. He rebuked them for hypocrisy. If it’s not from the heart, it falls short!
Worship with our whole being will involve the use of our strength, emotions, minds, resources, words and postures like kneeling, bowing, prostration, standing in awe, silence, shouts, laughter, tears – all to express our loyalty, admiration and love. Man made rules of worship may take some these as strange. You can tell how deeply people love and adore someone or something by their expressions. And so it is with our worship of God.
Mark 12:30 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'"
Shalom children of God.