Heart of Worship

Has a song ever helped you through some trial in your life? We’ve all had times when we were going through some hardship and we’ve listened to a certain song and found a small amount of relief from our distress.

But when the song ends, has our hardship disappeared? Do a few chords miraculously set everything right in life? Of course not. When the music ends, we are still faced with whatever challenges we had before the song began.

In the case of Saul, music—specifically, music played by David—soothed him and eased his torment. But it wasn’t gone after one application of David’s harp playing. The evil spirit that tormented Saul returned again and again. Each time David’s playing only eased and soothed Saul but did not solve the king’s problems.

No matter how much music Saul heard his problems didn’t go away, because Saul’s problem wasn’t with his ears—it was with his heart. Instead of repenting from the evil ways that had caused this spirit to come upon him, he treated the symptoms and sought only quick relief.

Saul forgot God is the real issue and instead focused on the music. For him, it became all about the music. But music isn’t forever.

In our worship, we must make sure we are focused on the right thing—our eternal God and Savior. Why? Because worship isn’t about music—music is only a secondary part of worship.

David C Cook and Adam Palmer, The Heart of Worship (Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook, 2013).