The Spiritual Posture Of A Prophetic Worshiper
David was just a young shepherd boy, the youngest of eight sons, forgotten and unseen by his father. It’s easy to imagine his days in the fields, silent and slow, in time with the steady rhythm of the sun across the sky. But as he learned to shepherd his flock of sheep, David learned to tend the heart of God in the place of worship and adoration.
Even at a young age, his heart of extravagant devotion was beautiful before the Lord. As David was serving faithfully in the wilderness, watching over his flock, God was removing Saul from the place of leadership and proclaiming through Samuel, “The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you” (1 Samuel 13:14). The Lord was looking for more than a king to command, He was looking for a king who championed His heart. He found that in David.
David’s love for God was cultivated in the secret place, the wilderness. There is nothing that confronts the tantalizing pull of ambition and recognition like the hiddenness and obscurity of the secret place. As worship leaders, the wilderness is God’s grace to us. It is our chance to live before an audience of One, to learn that His approval really is always enough.
The wilderness is also our opportunity to perfect the most precious gifts that we can offer to the Lord. These gifts are 1) a sincere heart, 2) listening ears, and 3) a steady gaze.
The one who embraces these values has embraced the spiritual posture of a prophetic worshipper. The one who lives these values is on a collision course with God Himself, for God cannot resist the lovestruck heart that is fully dependent, leaning into His will and seeking His face.
As we cultivate these three simple but potent values, we will learn to tend the heart of God through awe and wonder.
The Three Values of a Prophetic Worshiper
1. A Sincere Heart
1 Samuel 16:17 “Do not look at this appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
2. Listening Ears
Psalm 130: 5-6 I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.
3. A Steady Gaze
Psalm 27:4 “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek; That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.”