Returning to the Heart of Worship
Why It’s Time to Make Worship About God Again
In a time where churches are growing more creative, technologically savvy, and emotionally expressive, it’s easy to lose sight of one simple, sacred truth: worship is not about us.
Somewhere along the way, we’ve made it about our preferences, our emotions, and even our platforms. But true, biblical worship isn’t centered around how we feel or what we like—it’s centered around who God is.
As A.W. Tozer put it,
“Worship is no longer worship when it reflects the culture around us more than the Christ within us.”
Worship Is to God, for God, and About God
At its core, worship is our response to God’s revealed greatness. It’s what happens when we see Him rightly—and can’t help but bow our hearts, our minds, our lives.
Psalm 95:6 says,
“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”
Notice the posture—bowing, kneeling, reverence. Worship isn’t casual. It’s costly. It's not performance-based, it’s presence-based. It’s not about the setlist, the soundboard, or even the skill. It’s about a heart so captured by the beauty and holiness of God that we can’t help but pour ourselves out in surrender.
Leonard Ravenhill once said:
“Entertainment is the devil’s substitute for joy. The more joy you have in the Lord, the less entertainment you need.”
That doesn’t mean joy in worship looks stoic or cold. Worship can be expressive, passionate, vibrant—but the source of that passion should always be God’s worth, not our hype.
Jesus said in John 4:23–24 (ESV),
“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
This is such a powerful reminder. Worship isn’t just singing—it’s a response to truth. It’s not emotionalism or performance; it’s a heart bowed low before a holy God. Yes, it may involve emotion, but it must be anchored in truth.
When our songs and services become more about atmosphere than adoration, or more about what we want than what He deserves, we’ve missed the point.
It’s Time to Re-center Our Music, Too
Let’s talk about the songs we sing. There’s a growing trend in worship music to center lyrics around our own feelings, struggles, or victories. While it’s true that God meets us in our brokenness and celebrates our growth, the primary focus of worship music should be God Himself—His nature, His character, His greatness.
Biblical worship isn’t man-centered—it’s God-exalting.
The Psalms—the original worship book—are filled with songs that exalt God’s attributes:
His faithfulness (Psalm 89:1)
His majesty (Psalm 104)
His righteousness (Psalm 11:7)
His unfailing love (Psalm 136)
Yes, they also include human emotions—lament, joy, desperation—but they always return to the character and covenant of God as the anchor.
Paul writes in Romans 12:1 (NIV),
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
Worship is sacrificial. It's not about hype or musical preference—it's about laying ourselves down in response to His mercy. And that means our worship songs should help people look up, not just look inward.
Matt Redman said it best when he penned these words in “The Heart of Worship”:
“I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about You, Jesus.”
Our lyrics should teach, edify, and magnify. They should be rooted in truth—not just feelings. Because what we sing becomes what we believe, and what we believe becomes how we live. Let’s not forget that. Let’s write songs, lead teams, and pastor churches that don’t entertain, but elevate Christ.
A Worship Culture That Exalts the King
Creating a healthy worship culture means we have to be intentional. We can’t just follow trends—we must follow truth. Worship teams, pastors, and leaders: our goal isn’t to draw attention to ourselves, but to point people to Jesus.
Let’s ask ourselves some hard questions:
Are our worship services drawing people into a deeper awareness of God’s holiness?
Are our song lyrics proclaiming His truth or simply mirroring popular emotion?
Are we encouraging our congregations to be participants in worship—not just spectators?
A worship culture that pleases God is one that values reverence over relevance, truth over trends, and His glory over our gratification.
True Worship Is Rooted in Truth
Jesus made it clear in John 4:23–24:
“True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth… God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
Let’s break that down:
In Spirit means it's not just external. It flows from the heart, from the inner man, and is made possible by the Holy Spirit who stirs up affection for God.
In Truth means it must align with who God really is—not who we imagine Him to be. Worship that's not grounded in the Word can become idolatry wrapped in a worship song.
In other words, spirit without truth becomes emotionalism, and truth without spirit becomes ritualism. But worship in spirit and truth becomes a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).
How Did We Drift?
So how did we get here?
It’s subtle. It started with good intentions—making church more accessible, creating environments that feel relevant. And some of that is good stewardship. But the danger is when accessibility replaces reverence, and creativity replaces Christ.
When we’re more concerned with whether the congregation was moved than whether God was magnified, something’s off.
Charles Spurgeon once said:
“Let your songs be more full of Christ than of self. The best music is that which praises the Lord.”
This is not a call to abandon creativity—it’s a call to redeem it. Let our creativity serve the message, not distract from it.
A Call to Worship Leaders, Pastors, and the Church
If you lead worship, pastor a church, or simply love Jesus—this is for you.
We don’t need more impressive worship services.
We need more authentic worshipers.
We need to raise up a generation that understands that worship is not just a genre of music—it’s a lifestyle of surrender.
Let’s write and sing songs that declare who God is, not just what we feel.
Let’s lead in a way that causes people to see the Lamb of God, not the worship leader.
Let’s build cultures that value reverence over relevance, and holiness over hype.
We must refuse to let worship become entertainment. The moment it becomes about the crowd instead of the King, we’ve stepped out of alignment.
It’s Time to Come Back
Let’s come back to the heart of worship. A place where the volume of our music is not greater than the depth of our reverence. A place where the lights may dim, but the glory of God shines bright.
Let’s remember what Matt Redman wrote years ago—and let it echo again in our churches today:
“I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about You, Jesus. I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it, when it’s all about You.”
Worship is not about us.
It is to God.
It is for God.
It is about God.
And that’s more than enough.
Author’s Note:
If this post resonates with you—whether you're a worship leader, pastor, or someone who simply loves Jesus—let’s keep the conversation going. What are some ways you’ve seen worship drift off course? And how can we, together, return to the heart of worship?
