It is of utmost importance that believers understand the true nature of worship that God seeks and delights in. God delights in Christ. Therefore, our constant goal should be to represent Him to God. Christ should always be the content of our worship, and He will be to the extent that the Holy Spirit leads us.
How often, however, is it different with us! Both in the assembly and in private prayer, the tone is often so low and the spirit so dull and heavy! We are preoccupied with ourselves instead of with Christ. When we are more preoccupied with ourselves than with Christ, the Holy Spirit must first deal with us by leading us into self-judgment because our behavior has not been right. Yet the high goal of the Spirit is to take from the things of Christ and place His person before our eyes and hearts. How often, however, do we hinder His work because our condition is so low and weak!
Shouldn’t that make us sad and ashamed? We should pay attention to this both in our local assemblies and personally. Let’s ask ourselves some serious questions about this:
- Why is the condition in our meetings often so low?
- Why is so much weakness visible everywhere?
- Why are the meetings often so dry?
- And why is there so much digression instead of staying with Christ?
- Why do the songs and prayers often miss their mark?
- Why is there so little that could truly be called “worship”?
- Why is there so little that brings joy to God’s heart?
Isn’t all this because we are too preoccupied with ourselves and our circumstances: with our needs, our weakness, our trials, our difficulties…? How can we offer something that honors Him? Is it not the case that we are robbing God of what is His due and what His loving heart so desires from us: true worship that has Christ—His beloved Son—as its center and content?
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