Worship: Preparing Your Heart

In my previous post, Worship: From the Inside Out, I focused on King David and his outpouring of worship to the Lord. David poured out his heart before the Lord and didn't care what others thought about his expression of worship. How did David prepare his heart for this moment of worship to his King? He spent time in prayer. He meditated on the word of God  He repented for his sins. He had a humble spirit. David listened and was obedient. Above all, David was thankful and gave glory to God for his successes and accomplishments. Throughout the Old Testament, we are able to peer into David’s life. David is open to God about his struggles, shortcomings, and frustrations.  We can also worship as David worshiped.  Through repentance, obedience, meditation, and prayer we can bring honor and worship to God. Is this how we are to prepare our hearts so we can worship like David worshiped?  

Quiet...Time to Listen

Why is it so hard to listen, but so easy to speak? As a teacher, I see that students have a difficult time with this. They may say that they are listening or may even look it. As a parent, our children have difficulty listening. Prayer is our direct communication to God, the Creator of the universe. Often times, actually, most times, I find myself asking for things and thanking Him for things, but take no time to listen what He has to say. Speaking is only one side of communication. To truly understand and participate in a relationship, you have to listen. The Bible on many occasions discusses the importance of listening. In John 10, John compares our relationship to sheep and a shepherd. In John 10:3, Jesus says: “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” Jesus is talking about a shepherd leading the sheep. The sheep (us) need to listen to the shepherd’s (Jesus) voice to be kept safe and heading in the right direction. For us to keep on our path towards heaven, we must also listen to the Good Shepherd.