Matt Redman is one of the leading Christian singers and songwriters of our day. (We sing many of his songs here at Honolulu AG.) Crosswalk.com shares the story behind one of Matt’s most famous songs, “Heart of Worship”.
The song dates back to the late 1990s, born from a period of apathy within Matt’s home church, Soul Survivor, in Watford, England (on the NW edge of London). Despite the country’s overall contribution to the current worship revival, Redman’s congregation was struggling to find meaning in its musical outpouring at the time.
“There was a dynamic missing, so the pastor did a pretty brave thing,” Matt recalls. “He decided to get rid of the sound system and band for a season, and we gathered together with just our voices. His point was that we’d lost our way in worship, and the way to get back to the heart would be to strip everything away.”
Reminding his church family to be producers in worship, not just consumers, the pastor, Mike Pilavachi, asked, “When you come through the doors on a Sunday, what are you bringing as your offering to God?”
Matt says the question initially led to some embarrassing silence, but eventually people broke into a cappella songs and heartfelt prayers, encountering God in a fresh way.
“Before long, we reintroduced the musicians and sound system, as we’d gained a new perspective that worship is all about Jesus, and He commands a response in the depths of our souls no matter what the circumstance and setting. ‘The Heart of Worship’ simply describes what occurred.”
Redman remembers writing the song quickly in his bedroom soon after the church’s journey together, with no grand intentions, by any means, for it to become an international anthem. He viewed the words simply as his personal, subjective response to what he was learning about worship.
But when Matt shared “The Heart of Worship” with Pilavachi, the pastor suggested making a few small adjustments to the lyrics so any member of the church could relate to it as well. And the rest, as they say, is history.
“When the music fades, all is stripped away, and I simply come / Longing just to bring something that’s of worth that will bless your heart / I’ll bring you more than a song for a song in itself is not what you have required / You search much deeper within through the way things appear / You’re looking into my heart Chorus: 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, it’s all about You, Jesus.”
Do you have a Heart of Worship? May we have a heart that longs for Jesus, that desires Him more than anything else. As the psalmist declares (Psalm 42:1-2), “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” May we desire Jesus with that great passion!
Worship should Never be dull or boring. We are entering the presence of the Master and Creator of the Universe and falling down to worship Him. That is Amazing! And we need to learn to worship passionately in spirit and in truth now (John 4:23-24). After all, we will be worshipping Jesus for all eternity!
This Sunday, February 5, we will continue our series, “Welcome to the House”, with the amazing truth that we are called to be A House of Praise. Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and He deserves and desires All our praise and worship! Please invite someone to join you at 10:35am either in the building or online for the Live broadcast on Facebook (Honolulu AG) or our YouTube channel (Honolulu Assembly of God). We Livestream every Sunday at 10:35am to both locations.
Coming Up: This month’s Drive-Thru Prayer outreach is this Saturday, February 4, from 11am-1pm. The Annual Meeting for members is coming up on February 12 and includes a free fellowship lunch for everyone in attendance.
Aloha ke Akua!