“But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
(Matthew 15:9)
There is no subject more serious or more solemn than worship of the One who created all things, sustains all things, and governs all things by the word of His power. For He is holy, just, righteous, merciful, and infinite in all His perfections. And yet, He is also precise in how He is to be worshiped. God Himself tells us that our worship of Him must be offered in spirit and in truth.
Anything less is done in vain. Anything less may support the outward form of devotion—ritual, praise, religious “emotion”—but will still be useless and unacceptable in God’s eyes. Jesus quotes Isaiah 29:13 in Matthew 15:8, saying, “This people draws nigh unto me with their mouth, and honors me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.”
Such worship stems from man-made traditions. It elevates human rules above divine command. It invents expressions of piety not prescribed in Scripture, and assumes God will be pleased with whatever sincerity man offers up.
But sincerity is not the measure—truth is. Worship is not about what feels right to us; it is about what God has commanded. God must be worshiped as He is—and as He has revealed to us in His Word. “The special manner of the worship of God must be specially determined, as the special nature of every religious action does require.”[1]
True worship can only spring from a heart that has been made new by the Spirit of God, one that knows, loves, and treasures the Lord above all else. It is rooted in Scripture, shaped by the truth of who God is, and flows through the Mediator, Jesus Christ. It is reverent, joyful, sacrificial, and obedient. “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). There is no other way.
Hebrews 13:15-16 reminds us that true worship includes both praise (“the fruit of our lips”) and service (“to do good and to share”). Romans 12:1 defines worship as the offering of our whole selves as a living sacrifice to God. Which is to say, worship is not confined to Sunday mornings; it is the full surrender of our lives to the will of God, shaped by truth and fueled by love.
Where worship is false, God is not pleased—no matter how sincere. Where worship is true, God is glorified and the soul is satisfied because true worship aligns with the Word, is obedient to the commands of Christ, and adores the true and living God as revealed in the gospel.
So we must examine ourselves: Is our worship in line with Scripture? Is our understanding of God biblical? Are we drawing near with our hearts—or only with our lips? Are we offering Him what He has commanded—or what we have construed?
Contemplation:
- Search My Worship, Lord. I confess that I have often gone through the motions of worship without considering what pleases You. I’ve taken comfort in tradition or personal emotion without measuring either against Your Word. Search me, O Lord, and reveal where I may be worshiping You in vain and make my heart right before You.
- Align My Practice with Your Word. Lord, I don’t want to be ignorant or careless about how I approach You. Teach me how to worship You in spirit and in truth. Show me if I’ve added to Your Word or diminished from it in my public or private devotions. Let my heart be moved to obey Your revealed will with reverence and joy.
- Let My Church Be Faithful in Worship. What we offer as a body of believers must be acceptable to You and not just appealing to ourselves. Show us, Lord, what You require of Your church in worship. Keep us grounded in Your Word, devoted to Christ, and dependent upon Your Spirit.
- Sanctify My Understanding of You. Lord, if I worship a god of my own making, I am not worshiping You at all. Guard my heart from false views of Your character. Help me love the truth of who You are—not just those aspects of You I’m more comfortable with but the whole of Your glory. Let my worship spring from a true knowledge of You, shaped by the whole counsel of Scripture.
Prayer (Supplication):
O Lord, my God and King, I bow before You in need of Your mercy and guidance. You are holy, and You dwell in unapproachable light. The heavens declare Your glory, the earth trembles at Your voice, and the angels cry out day and night, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts.” And yet, Lord, You invite sinners like me to come before You—to worship You in spirit and in truth.
I come now, not with confidence in myself, but in the name of Jesus Christ, my Mediator and Redeemer. I ask You, Father, help me worship You as You have commanded. Show me the difference between truth and tradition, between spirit-led devotion and man-centered performance. If there is anything false in my understanding of who You are or how You desire to be worshiped, correct me, Lord, by Your Word.
Forgive me for times when my heart has been far from You, though my lips moved in song or my hands were lifted in prayer. Forgive me for making You small in my thoughts or shaping You into something more comfortable than the holy, sovereign, consuming fire that You are. Forgive me when I have honored You with outward form but failed to adore You in spirit.
Teach me, Lord, to worship You rightly. Let my songs be shaped by truth, my prayers flow from a reverent heart, and my whole life be lived as a sacrifice of praise. Let me not be content with appearances. Let me not settle for tradition. Let me not imitate the world or follow my own devices. But lead me, Lord, into true worship.
Make me a worshiper who trembles at Your Word, who rejoices in Your truth, and who delights in Your glory. Let my faith be genuine and my heart aflame with love for You. Let my worship on earth reflect the worship of heaven—pure, undistracted, Christ-centered, and Spirit-enabled.
And Lord, may Your church be purified in this very thing. Reform us where we have strayed. Conform us to the pattern of Your Word. Raise up leaders who love Your truth more than man’s applause. And let Your glory be the goal of every gathering, every prayer, every song, and every offering.
You alone are worthy, O God. You are Spirit. Let me worship You in spirit and in truth. Teach me how. And keep me faithful to it all my days.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Matthew 15:9:
Isaiah 29:13; Colossians 2:22; Titus 1:14; 1 Timothy 4:1; Proverbs 30:5; Matthew 5:19.
[1] William Ames, The Marrow of Sacred Divinity (London: Edward Griffin for Henry Overton .., 1642), 320.
