Ministering to the Lord
Those of us who are part of musical worship may often hear the phrase, “ministering to the Lord.” This phrase comes from 1 Samuel 3:1, when it says, “Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord.”
Growing up, I pictured Samuel as a young boy, playing his harp and singing at midnight, with a lone candle lighting the room. This was my definition of “ministering to the Lord.” However, when I seriously studied that phrase, I found that the Scriptures provide a much different definition.
This word “minister” is used often throughout the Scripture, and it actually means to serve. So Samuel served in the tabernacle, helping the priests and Levites with their responsibilities. He most likely didn’t play music, because music wasn’t added to the tabernacle until the time of David.
Ministry in the House of God
In the Old Testament, ministry to the Lord happened primarily in the context of the priestly ministry in the tabernacle, as the priests and Levites would offer sacrifices to God and take care of the house of worship:
“You shall anoint them [Aaron and his sons], that they may minister to Me as priests.” - Exodus 40:15
“The LORD separated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister to Him and to bless in His name.” - Deuteronomy 10:8
These Levites didn’t sing or play musical instruments (because David added music later on). They served, completed tasks, offered sacrifices, and took care of the house of God… and when they did, God saw it as ministry to Him. They were completing “mundane tasks,” but God saw that they were ministering directly to Him.
He Is the Reward
Deuteronomy 10:9 tells us, “The Levites have no share or inheritance among their fellow Israelites; the LORD is their inheritance, as the LORD your God told them.” The other tribes of Israel received land in Canaan, in the Promised Land. But the Levites received the LORD in a way that the others did not – HE was their portion and their inheritance.
How does that apply to us? Often when we minister to the Lord, it seems that we have nothing to show for it. We serve at church, pour out our lives for our families, spend hours in prayer and worship… and it may seem that we don’t get anything in return. But we gain Him. Those who invest in their businesses or careers reap the rewards from their businesses or careers, but we who serve the Lord (minister to the Lord) gain HIM. He is the greatest inheritance, the greatest reward.
Ministry through Music
When David became king, he found in the heart of God a love for music, and he added music to the tabernacle:
“And he [David] appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the LORD God of Israel… [with stringed instruments, harps, cymbals, and trumpets].” - 1 Chronicles 16:4
Here, ministry to the Lord is seen not only as completing tasks in the house of God but as musical worship as well.
Ministry to Jesus
As I studied this topic, I found a couple additional verses regarding ministry to the Lord.
“He who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.” - Psalm 101:6
As seen in this passage, our virtuous lives are ministry to the Lord. They bring joy to His heart.
The next passage is the parable that Jesus tells of the sheep and the goats:
“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’” - Matthew 25:44-45
When we minister to others, we are ministering directly to Jesus.
A Kingdom of Priests
The Bible tells us that we are modern-day priests and Levites:
“All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. He has made us a kingdom of priests for God his Father.” - Revelation 1:5-6
We are a kingdom of priests to minister to God by serving Him and His house, giving Him musical worship, and ministering to others. In doing so, we are ministering to His heart and bringing Him joy. He is our reward.
Want to learn more?
Worship is the highest calling and what we were created for. If you would like to learn how to play worship piano with this heart of worship as the foundation, check out my online lessons or the Worship Essentials courses. This unique approach combines a simple, easy-to-follow method of learning the piano along with teachings on the heart of worship - and it has proven successful for people of all ages and levels.