Worship at its highest level is developing my heart to such a level of sensitivity that even the musings of my King are enough to move me to action. There is nothing greater.
Wayne Cordeiro
It’s nice when someone anticipates our needs or wants. They remember you like your coffee a certain way or heard you say, “I just want to sleep in today.” When you have those kinds of people in your life who notice you and hear you without you having to announce, “Listen to me!” It’s amazing.
The painting
I’m a no-frills kind of person, I think. At least I’ve been told a few times that I’m not hard to please. I don’t like any “fluff” whatsoever regarding relationships, decorating, or even clothes shopping. The ideal “decor” for me is “less is more.” I’m a minimalist through and through. This has served me well, considering we have had to move many times to different countries and continents over the years. However, I have been known to veer off my minimalist course when I see something unusual that catches my eye.
About 17 years ago, when we were living in Malawi, I stumbled across a small shop and noticed a beautiful painting of three lions on display. It was done by a local artist, and I instantly loved it, as it was unlike anything I had seen before and mentioned how lovely it was. Jamie (my husband) was with me, and I didn’t realize that he had taken notice of how much I loved the painting. Weeks passed, and Christmas rolled around. We gave gifts to the kids, and because we usually don’t exchange gifts, I settled into sipping my morning coffee.
Jamie disappeared and came back momentarily, carrying the painting I had admired. He’s a no-frills kind of guy as well, so when he brought this painting out, I was beyond surprised. Reduced to tears, I thanked him for noticing me and what I loved. He heard me. That felt so good.
Just musing
I forgot about the painting as the weeks went by. When I originally saw it, I simply mentioned how beautiful it was. I was just “musing” or daydreaming and mentioned it to him in passing. It didn’t occur to me that he would take notice. The idea of having such a beautiful painting was out of reach for me, or so I thought.
God hears us when we’ve just been “musing” or daydreaming. I can’t count the times God’s come through with the unexpected desires of my heart and surprised me. He’s surprised me with things I didn’t even know I wished for until they appeared.
Yet, I wonder why God is so quick to hear our musings, but we often don’t hear His. We’ve found it difficult to understand that less (of us) will mean more (of Him). What kind of reflection is that of us? God is ready to go the extra mile for us, to bless us, but how ready are we to go that extra mile for Him?
Thirsty
At that time David was in the stronghold, and some of the Philistines were in Bethlehem. David had a strong desire for some water. He said, “Oh, I wish someone would get me water from the well near the city gate of Bethlehem!” So the three warriors broke through the Philistine army and took water from the well near the city gate of Bethlehem. Then they brought it to David…
2 Samuel 23:14-16 NCV
The above verses talk about a time when David was in battle and was thirsty. Those who were with him heard him say, “How thirsty I am.” His desire became their business. After hearing him, they risked their lives and limbs to get the exact water that David wanted. They heard the “musing” of their king. They understood the value of “less is more.” Less of what they wanted and more of what the king wanted.
If we have heard
Thinking of these things makes me wonder if we have heard the musings of our King. In one post on our relationship with God, I took some time to discuss the importance of worship in our relationship with God. Worship is more than a song; it’s a lifestyle (see Rom. 12:1). If we can connect the dots of worship, we’ll come to the place where our worship reaches God, even when we are scrambling eggs or scrubbing floors.
There’s another level of worship that I believe supersedes all other forms of worship: hearing God’s musings. Hearing the desires of His heart and working, or breaking through enemy lines like David’s men did, to bring Him what He’s longing for. What is He saying? Have we heard Him? Have we understood the principle of “less is more”?
When the roles are reversed
Growing in our relationship with God means more than becoming an expert on the mechanics of Christianity. Many of us are pretty adept at finding our way through the Bible (even if we aren’t we have apps to help) and quoting various scriptures. However, how well do we respond when God whispers His dreams and desires? When the roles are reversed and He’s not the One doing all the heavy lifting of fulfilling our wants and needs, how are we doing?
God has desires just like we do. His Word is full of things that He wants, and what He wants always has to do with reaching out to others. If we can begin to tap into hearing His musings, we will begin to see real growth in our lives. We will go beyond “me, myself, and I” to “you, us, and them.” This is where we will begin to understand “less is more.”
The real hero
The disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith (see Luke 17:5). But, if you read the verse in context, just before their request (vs. 1-4), Jesus was teaching about offense and forgiveness. It’s curious that the disciples, after hearing this teaching, asked that their faith be increased. Jesus’ response (vs. 6–10) is equally intriguing, as He first said that if we could have faith as a mustard seed, we could uproot the immovable.
Jesus went on to say after his faith statement (vs. 7–10) that as servants, we are called to do more than what we’re required to do, more than what is the bare minimum. In fact, in those verses, He goes on to say that if a servant does just what they are required to do, they’re not profitable. The same principle applies to us. If we simply do what is right and don’t go beyond the bare minimum, we’re not yet profitable.
Putting all those factors together in Luke 17:1–10, great faith comes when we live in forgiveness and service that goes beyond what is required. When we go to the level of “less is more,” meaning less of what we want and more of what He wants.
Is my less more? Am I profitable?
True worship—hearing the musings of God—isn’t just showing up on time and leaving at quitting time. True worship is seen in our honoring the desires of God’s heart and finding ways to help fulfill those desires. I think one of the greatest examples of how God sees the world is found in the well-known story of the Prodigal in Luke 15. The hero of the story isn’t the Prodigal Son. The hero of the story is the father, who allowed himself to be shamed, plundered, and wished to be dead by his son (for his son wanted his inheritance before his father died).
The older son was bitter at the end of the story. In the culture of the time, the older son would have been the one to search for the younger one. Because he was only concerned about his inheritance, he stayed home. When the younger son came home, pleading to return, he couldn’t accept it. The story ends at this point; we don’t know if the older brother eventually welcomed the younger.
Maybe the story ends this way to help us end our stories well and to bring us to a place where “less is more” in how we relate to others. Less of what we want and more of what God wants.
Ending well
I want my story to end well. Like Israel, I want to end my life in a posture of worship (see Heb. 11:21) and blessing others. In this way, I’ll find my way from being an unprofitable servant to becoming a profitable servant for the Kingdom of God. More than anything, I want the reality of “less is more” to be real to me. I want less of me so there can be more of Him.
He must increase, but I must decrease.
John 3:30 NKJV
