Project Description

2013/01

Worship of the Heart

“Unto Thee, O Lord do I lift up my soul” Psalm 25:1

We may lift up our hands, and even our voices, out of a sense of duty; and yet our hearts may not delight in God.  While our souls languish in the dust, our drawing near to the Lord is with the lips only.  But spiritual worship is always an exercise of the heart. True worship is “in spirit” as well as “in truth” (John 4:24).  How futile are those acts of worship that leave the heart behind!  

Our hearts must speak at the throne of grace. Those hearts are lifted up to the Lord when our desires are of Him and after Him and our love is fixed upon Him.  When our expectation is from Him, then our hearts sigh and desire to get near Him.  It is good to draw near to God and experience that meditation of Him which is so sweet.  Then we can say, “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3)

Real communion with God heaps riches upon the soul.  And a soul rich in wisdom, rich in faith, rich in goodness, is a blessing to others.  Joseph was such a man and he proved a great blessing to his master’s family and those among whom he lived.  

While much good may be done with earthly riches, it is nothing compared to the good a believer can do whose soul is adorned with heavenly riches!  Then the Lord’s name will be honoured and his Word magnified. Opening the heart and pouring out the soul before Him in the secret place is a sure way of becoming rich with the riches of Christ.  It is there that the soul meets with the King of Glory, and shares in the treasures of His grace.  

Since the eyes of the Lord are principally fixed upon our hearts, so the eyes of our souls must ever be toward Him. Often we are at a loss as to which way to take. “The way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). We must go to the Lord for wisdom and look to Him for direction.  Only when we lift up our souls to Him will He show us the path He has marked out for us. It is in His light that we shall see light, and then the pathway will be clear.

You may have looked to self or to others in the past.  Discouragement and disappointment have been your lot. Lift up your heart to Him, not just today but every day throughout this year.  Then you will both know and do the will of God from the heart!

Commit to Him thy doubtful way,
Rest on His care, and trust His hand;
His goodness shall thy path display,
And soon a prosperous end command.

Rev. Leslie Curran