When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look.
Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen,
for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.
Wash yourselves and be clean!
Get your sins out of my sight.
Give up your evil ways.
Learn to do good.
Seek justice.
Help the oppressed.
Defend the cause of orphans.
Fight for the rights of widows.
( Isaiah 1:15–17).
God's indictment of Israel was that they put on a good act, but they did not follow Him. Their "faith" was superficial.
We must gather for worship. It is here where we spur each other on, and we raise our voices together in praise of our Lord in our songs and our prayers. We listen to a message and then head back into the world. What happens next tells you how sincere you were inside the sanctuary. And that was God's criticism of Israel (and too many believers today.)
Absolute faith and genuine worship come from hearts that are changed by God's grace. A changed heart results in a life that is changed. Our values change, our compassion for others grows, and we begin to love and hate what God loves and hates.
I hope you worship well today May your worship be more than a mere performance or a place to gather with friends. May your worship come from a real hunger for God as well as a desire to be changed and used by Him.