Heart and Soul Worship

By Dean Collins

If you went to church camp or spent much time in a church building in the ’60s and ’70s, you likely heard and maybe even played this song on the piano.  

If I heard it once, I heard it hundreds of times over the 30 years or so that I worked in church camps in the South. The song is called “Heart and Soul,” and while it had its heyday in the ’40s through the ’60s, it sometimes still echoes in the mind of a few of us who spent time in church or attended church camp even through the ’70s and ’80s.

The song is very repetitive but usually involved at least two people to play it. One person pounded out the chords rhythmically while another plunked out the melody on the treble keys. There is nothing particularly spiritual about the song. In fact, it is a sappy love song.

As I reread Psalm 119 today, I noticed phrases that talked about how God’s word captured the heart and soul of the psalmist. If you are a regular reader of God’s word, then you know that there are many places in scripture where we are called to love God with heart and soul. Jesus told his listeners: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This instruction was familiar to those who were listening to Jesus because all the way back in Deuteronomy Moses gave the same instructions.

As I read through Psalm 119, I began to notice that the psalmist spoke not just of his heart and soul being involved in his response to God. A careful reading of this psalm suggests that our whole being is involved in our worship and in our spiritual formation. As we read this psalm, we learn that the success of our spiritual journey in life involves our lips, our eyes, our feet, our hands, our flesh, and our ears.

Unfortunately, many believers are uncomfortable with too much physical response in worship even though there are multiple instructions throughout scripture to raise our heads, our hands, and even to dance in response to God. I am not suggesting that you surprise anyone by dancing in church this Sunday, but I do want to encourage you to consider that obedience to God’s word may involve more than just our minds.

Here are a few things David said concerning how his physical being was connected to his obedience and worship:

Heart

“I will praise you with an upright heart.”

“With my whole heart I seek you.”

“Enlarge my heart.”

Lips

“With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth.”

“My lips pour forth praise.”

“I will speak of your testimonies before kings and not be put to shame.”

“Hear my voice according to your steadfast love.”

“My tongue will sing of your word for all your commandments are right.”

Mind

“I will meditate on your precepts.”

 Eyes

“I will fix my eyes on your ways.”

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”

“Turn my eyes from looking at wondrous things.”

“My eyes long for your salvation.”

Hands

“I will lift my hands toward your commandments.” 

Feet

“I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word.”

“I turn my feet to your testimonies.” 

“Keep steady my steps according to your promise.”

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

“I will run in the way of your commandments.”

“I will walk in a wide place for I have sought your precepts.”

“Keep steady my steps…and let no iniquity get dominion over me.”

I certainly don’t want to be legalistic about what and how we worship or live our Christian lives. But I do want to point out that being silent saints doesn’t seem to be what God desires. So go ahead and put some heart and soul into your attitude today and maybe you will feel a little freer to lift your hands in praise and tell someone about the goodness of God.

Father, thank you for Psalm 119. Today we turn to you with our heart and soul and our whole being. Light our path that we might walk in the light of your love and obediently find new ways to serve you as we share your love with others. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
Psalm 119:7, 10-11, 13, 15, 18, 32, 34, 36-37, 45-46, 48, 52, 59, 82, 101-102, 105, 120, 123, 133, 136, 145, 147-149, 170-172; Matthew 22:37 ESV

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