When Jesus said, “Love God with all your strength,” he pointed

out that worship takes effort and energy. It is not always

convenient or comfortable, and sometimes worship is a sheer act

of the will—a willing sacrifice. Passive worship is an oxymoron.

When you praise God even when you don’t feel like it, when

you get out of bed to worship when you’re tired, or when you

help others when you are worn out, you are offering a sacrifice of

worship to God. That pleases God.

Matt Redman, a worship leader in England, tells how his pastor

taught his church the real meaning of worship. To show that

worship is more than music, he banned all singing in their services

for a period of time while they learned to worship in other ways.

By the end of that time, Matt had written the classic song “Heart

of Worship”:

I’ll bring You more than a song,

because the song itself is not what You’ve required.

You search much deeper within

than the way things appear.

You’re looking into my heart.14

The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart When God Seems Distant The Lord has hidden himself
from his people,

but I trust him and place my hope in him. Isaiah 8:17 (TEV)

God is real, no matter how you feel.

It is easy to worship God when things are going great in your

life—when he has provided food, friends, family, health, and

happy situations. But circumstances are not always pleasant. How

do you worship God then? What do you do when God seems a

million miles away?

The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain,

thanking God during a trial, trusting him when tempted,

surrendering while suffering, and loving him when he seems distant.

Friendships are often tested by separation and silence; you are

divided by physical distance or you are unable to talk. In your

friendship with God, you