The Word Points You to Worship — Shane Idleman

Worship as a Response of the Heart

And Jehoshaphat bowed his head, he bowed his face to the ground, and all of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord and they worshiped the Lord.". And that's why we do talk sometimes about a response to worship, or we do open up the altar, because it really reveals the heart, doesn't it?

Spiritual Engagement Versus Emotionalism

Think about it. If I'm just like, John, you're really going long on that song, brother. Man, why do we have so much worship? This is really boring. In and out sounds really good. Why am I acting like this?

Because I'm not engaged spiritually. Over the last year, I've seen grown men, tough guys, get all excited and giddy. They get a promotion at work, or a week off, or they're going to the river. Man, we're going to the river!

Load up that Coors Light in the boat, man! But then get in the church. See? What's the difference? You can get emotional. You express anger real well. Is anger not an emotion? Now, when I say all this, I don't say it so you get emotional, because I think emotionalism is dangerous.

You can't work up a Holy Spirit pep rally, but God can come down on a prepared soil of the heart. But there should be an expression, even in your seat, as your head bowed down, and you even think of an amazing grace, how sweet the sound, and there's just something, the yearning, the body is just an expression of what's going on in the heart.

Different Expressions of Worship

That's why there's all different forms of worship, isn't there? You know those people who do the flags? Like, I'm not a flag person, but those are some of the most spiritual people I know. But you won't see me at the flags.

That could just be maybe embarrassment. Maybe God will show me. But also I think it can be a distraction. And so, see, there's different forms. In Lancaster, Morgan, remember too, this guy's up front, and he's, actually, they came in, they just got released from prison, they're halfway home, and it was so encouraging to see this altar full of men.

Compassion Instead of Judgment in Worship

And this guy, he's weeping profusely. And I'm kind of getting, oh, man, you know. All of you guys, whether you say it or not, you judge the church based on the leader. Let's just be honest. And so I'm like, oh, man, this guy's getting a little carried away.

What are people thinking? Now I don't care as much, for sure. But this friend came up to me and said he just found his son hung in the garage. And I began to weep, and I began to pray. I went down and prayed with him.

I said, God, forgive me. God, forgive me. See how quick we judge others? Judging the person, they're a little, God, they're a little dramatic. Well, God just delivered them from crack, and she got her kids back.

How dare you? But I see the light, it's the worship wars. You know, anybody, you get a little emotional, they think, I don't know, man, they're a little emotional. Yeah, why don't you, have you ever been through hell and God saved you?

Have you ever been so close to hell, your clothes still smell like smoke? Has God ever brought you out of addiction that was going to take you down? You might worship a little bit different. See, there's an expression.

So see, what we say is you don't have to. I'm not, by nature, I'm more conservative, but there should be some type of response when you're worshiping God. I'll let you and God work that out. It demands a response.

Jehoshaphat's Worship and God's Victory

So Jehoshaphat, there's this great army, great army. They began worshiping the Lord. So they didn't send out still team six, they sent out six members of the worship team, or 15, I don't know. And now when they begin to sing and to pray, so here comes this army, this army's gonna take them out.

They begin to sing and praise God. What's gonna turn away God's ear from them? Nothing. And God said, you know what, I'll handle this. He sent ambushes against their enemies and all of the enemies were defeated.

When you set your heart upon God, he will set his eyes upon you. Some of you need to hear that as more, as soon as you set your eyes upon God, he will set his eyes upon you. He will do things you never dreamed of.

Worship, Prayer, and the Throne of Grace

It doesn't mean you might have a great life and get through things easily and never be attacked, but you know that God who holds the very breath in the palm of his hands that you breathe. I love John 4 .23, the father is seeking such to worship him.

You experiencing God, you going directly to the throne room of grace often is the way to go. That's really where prayers get answered because God knows the true condition of our hearts. And sometimes the Lord, I don't even know how to pray for this.

Just the spirit knows how to pray. God, I don't even know how to pray. I lift up this person. I lift up my sickness. I lift up my illness. God, I'm going through this situation financially. I see no hope.

I see no way around this. My job is on the line. I don't know how we're gonna get through this, but God.