Worship is an essential feature of the assemblies of the saints. It is a time for the family of God to join together in praising the Father. Acceptable worship must involve both spirit and truth (John 4:24). We might use the heart to describe what is meant by the word “spirit.”
Our hearts must be filled with purity. The Psalmist said the one who would be with God in His holy place must have clean hands and a pure heart (Psalm 24:3-4). God’s instructions to Jacob to go to Bethel resulted in him telling his family, “…Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves and change your garments” (Genesis 35:2 NKJV). David keenly felt the guilt of his sin and asked God to create in him a clean heart (Psalm 51:10).
Our hearts should bow in humility. One singer declared, “…I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple” (Psalm 5:7 NIV). Peter instructed scattered Christians to humble themselves before God (1 Peter 5:6). Habakkuk reported, “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him” (Habakkuk 2:20 NKJV).
We should also raise our voices in praise to God because of what is in our heart. “I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High” was proclaimed by a singer of Israel (Psalm 7:17). Another singer said, “I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High” (Psalm 9:1-2). Moses and the children of Israel sang praises to God after He drowned the Egyptian army in the Red Sea. Miriam and the women also praised the Almighty (Exodus 15:1-2, 21).
We should truly be glad when they say to us, “Let us go into the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1). It is a wonderful opportunity to praise God from our hearts.
