“And the Lord said:
‘Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
therefore, behold, I will again
do wonderful things with this people,
with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.’”
– Isaiah 29:13-14
God always wants our heart. He isn’t particularly interested in our rituals, ceremonies, traditions, or forms of devotion, though these are often our highest priorities and the things we get most upset about. God cares that our hearts are near Him and desiring to draw nearer still.
In a year that’s focused on changing forms, traditions, and structures for public worship, too little attention has been paid to deepening our personal heart devotion to the Lord when we worship. The heart is far more important than the form when it comes to worship! We need to turn to the Lord with our hearts.
In ancient days, God saw this situation and promised Israel new wonders to draw their hearts to Him. He promised wonders that would confound the so-called earthly wisdom that dominated the marketplace of ideas. Lord, we need this today!!!
Lord, pull us away from the foolish wisdom of the world. Draw us nearer to you. Help us to overcome the idolatry of empty worship with our lips and into deep worship from our heart!