Heart of Worship

Heart of Worship
Words of Faith 11-9-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Exodus 15
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
"I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.
[2] The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.
[3] The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.
[4] Pharaoh's chariots and his army he has hurled into the sea.
The best of Pharaoh's officers are drowned in the Red Sea.
[5] The deep waters have covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone.

What do you do when you are suddenly saved from certain death? What do you do in response to an enormous deliverance from an enemy such as the Egyptian army? For one, you celebrate!
A remarkable expression of joy burst forth from among the Israelites. Moses "sang" this song to the Lord, celebrating with exuberance the joy of God's great victory. The heart of worship was born here among the people.
In the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, worship consisted of periodic sacrifices and burnt offerings directed at seeking the favor of God. There is no indication that the Hebrews had any regular form of worship while living in Egypt. But this was a whole new era. No one had seen mighty acts such as these. For centuries, there had not been a sense of God's communication with the Hebrew people. The Lord was now preparing to form the Israelites as a worshiping people. First came the heart of worship. Later, the form of worship would also be set out for them.
Perhaps the most critical point in these verses is to realize that worship is an expression of God. "Most sang this song to the Lord." Worship is not for people. It is not a performance. Worship is not for the comfort of the worshiper, although it often does that. Worship is not about one style of music or another. The heart of worship is an expression to the Lord of gratitude and celebration for who He is and what He has done.
Worship is also a choice. "I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted" is a declaration of decision. Worship is a yielding of self to God. It professes the most fundamental truth of all, "God is God, and I am not." I choose to exalt Him. Standing or sitting amid worshipers does not accomplish worship. Worship is not the result of occupying a particular house or building. Worship is the deliberate act of focusing on God rather than self, and singing praise to Him.
Some may argue that choosing not to sing is more merciful to those around them because they do not have a pretty voice with which to sing. The Scripture does not say that Moses had a pretty voice. The point is not the beauty of our voice for others to hear. They are not the audience. Moses sang to the Lord. The Lord was the only audience. His song came from the heart, which was surrendered to the Lord.
Worship begins in the heart and moves to the voice. The noises may be strange, but the joy is heard by the Lord. How is your worship life? Worship begins when we contemplate the truth of God's power and redemptive work in our lives. Out of such a heart, a song arises.

Father God, give me a heart of worship! Strike me with the wonder of Your creation and the power of Your redemption. Lift my heart in celebration and bring a song to my lips. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.