The Heart of Worship

A new song we've sung in our church captures what the heart of worship is: it is surrender. That may be an unpopular word to some, but when you realize that it's not about you, it's about God, surrender isn't like losing. It's how we love God, and the natural response to His love and mercy. We give ourselves to Him, not out of fear or duty, but in love, "...because He first loved us." ! John 4:9-10.

Paul, in the book of Romans, spent the first part of the book explaining God's incredible grace, and in chapter twelve, He tells us to fully surrender ourselves in worship: "So then, my friends, because of God's great mercy to us... offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His service and pleasing to Him. This is the true worship that you should offer." Romans 12:1.

Giving, or offering yourself to God is what worship is all about. This act of personal surrender is called many things: consecration, making Jesus your Lord, taking up your cross, dying to self, yielding to the Spirit. What matters is that you do it, not what you call it. God wants all your life - all of it.

Rick Warren, in "The Purpose Driven Life" tells of three barriers that can block our total surrender to God; fear, pride and confusion. We don't realize how much God loves us, we want to control our own lives and we misunderstand the meaning of surrender.

1. Can I trust God? You must trust in order to surrender. You can't surrender to God unless you trust Him, but you can't trust Him without knowing Him better. Fear keeps us from surrendering, but love casts out all fear. The more you know how much God loves you, the easier it is to surrender. How do you know He loves you? There is a lot of evidence in the Bible, He created you, He is interested in the details of your life, He gives you the capability for pleasure, He has plans for your life, He forgives you and He is patient with you. But the greatest expression of His love for you is the sacrifice of God's Son for you. Look at Christ on the cross with His outstretched arms, saying to us, "I love you this much! I'd rather die that live without you!" That's how much God loves you. Remember, God gave you the will to choose, and will not force you to accept Him. God does not use tactics that force us into submission; He is a lover and a liberator who brings freedom, not bondage.


2. Admitting our limitations.The second barrier to total surrender is our pride. We don't want to admit that we're just created beings and not in charge of everything. I've seen cults who promise what seems to be the answer to those prideful people who can't surrender control of their lives: they believe "they'll be like God!" There is only one winner of that contest. There is only one God, and He is in control of everything, you and your surroundings, you and your friends, you and your job. People who struggle with pride are really struggling with God. Rick Warren says, "We aren't God and never will be. We are humans. It is when we try to be God that we end being most like Satan, who desired the same thing." We want to have it all and do it all and become upset when it doesn't happen. Then we notice that God gave others characteristics that we don't have, and we respond with envy, jealousy and self-pity. That's a life surrendered to self; God wants to give you His plans and His love; surrendered to Jesus.


3. What it means to surrender. What surrender to God is not is resignation, fatalism or an excuse for laziness. It is not accepting the status quo. It means the opposite; sacrificing your life or suffering in order to change what must be changed. God often uses surrendered people to do battle on His behalf. "Surrendering is not for cowards or doormats," says Rick Warren. And it doesn't mean you give up the intelligence you possess, as God would not waste the mind He gave you. He is not trying to change your personality, He wants you to use that unique part of you for Him. Rather than it being diminished, surrending to God enhances it. Surrendering is best demonstrated when you say "Yes, Lord." Saying "No, Lord" is a contradiction; you can't call Jesus your Lord and refuse to obey Him. Rick uses the illustration of Simon in Luke 5:5; after a night of failed fishing, Simon modeled surrender when Jesus told him to try again: "Master, we've worked all night and haven't caught anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets." Surrendered people obey God's word, even when it might not make sense. One final point: surrender is best demostrated in obedience and trust. Genuine surrender says, "Father, if this problem, pain, sickness, or circumstance is needed to fulfill Your purpose and glory in my life or another's, please don't take it away." This kind of maturity doesn't come easy. We have often faced situations where what we thought was best was done, but ultimately, it wasn't the best thing to do. God's plans always start and end for His purpose, not ours. We benefit from the glory and mercy of His purpose for us when we embrace all of God by surrendering to Him.

Tomorrow: Becoming best friends with God.

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