Let's be honest... sometimes we just don't feel like worshipping. We know we should, and we know it is our "one heart and one purpose" (Jer. 32:39), but often our hearts just aren't feeling it. Recently I was pondering this reality and asking the Lord what it is that positions our hearts in the place of truly desiring to worship.

In order to worship Jesus “in spirit and in truth,” we have to know Him. The problem is that many people today don’t know Him. What does He like? What does He dislike? What are His ways? What is on His heart in this moment? Beyond simply speaking of Him in words, how can our hearts truly know Him?

Worship must begin in what the Scriptures call "the secret place" (Matt. 6:6), with just you and the Lord. You will never be able to lead others into worship in a corporate setting until you can worship alone when no one is watching. You will never be able to worship at your instrument until you can first worship without it. So how do we worship Jesus alone in the secret place? Psalm 46:10 gives us the key: “Be still and know that I am God.”

What happens when we worship? Are we simply singing songs in our living room, or is our personal worship a part of something far bigger, far more eternal? Throughout history, the Scriptures and the church have always seen worship as the coming together of heaven and earth.

In this life, there will be times when we go through hardship and pain. We pray for healing but our loved one dies. We are in pain and the doctors cannot figure out why. We deal with trauma and loss, face financial difficulties, or simply have too much to do in a day. When we face these hard times, we naturally want answers – we want to know why this is happening to us.

One of the beautiful results of worship is that it creates a habitation – a dwelling place, or a resting place – both for the Lord and for us. In the New Testament, we find that Jesus often traveled to Bethany to stay at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Why? He was loved there. They worshipped Him, and He made their home His habitation.

We were created for one purpose – to worship, to behold Jesus, to love Him. That is the only thing that will ever satisfy us. No pleasure on earth, no promotion, no bonus, no person will ever satisfy us – only Jesus will. We were born to worship. Worship is the highest calling. That doesn’t mean that everyone has to sit in a prayer room and sing all day, but everyone is called to this heart of worship.