Worship in the Wilderness: A Heart Fixed on Praise

“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

—Psalm 63:1 (ESV)

This psalm wasn’t written in a sanctuary. It didn’t rise from a place of comfort, provision, or peace. Psalm 63 was birthed in the wilderness of Judah - a place dry, weary, and void of refreshment. And yet, in this barren land, David’s soul was bursting with desire to seek God.

This is the wilderness of praise - when everything around you says, “There’s no reason to worship,” and yet your heart cries, “Still, I will praise.”

A Worship that Transcends Circumstance

David knew what it was to worship on both the mountain and in the valley. He had seen the palace, but here, in the wilderness, he models something so powerful:

“I seek You when there is water, and I seek You when there is no water.”

“I seek You when my soul is strong, and when my flesh faints.”

“I seek You when there is momentum, and I seek You when I struggle.”

What gave David this kind of resolve?

“Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.” (Psalm 63:3)

When the natural gives no reason to praise, David looks to the supernatural, and his heart is fixed.

God Looks at the Heart

David’s capacity to worship in the wilderness wasn’t just learned in hardship, it was something God saw long before David was king.  When Samuel went to anoint one of Jesse’s sons, he saw strength, stature, appearance. But God reminded him:

“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

We often judge a person’s heart by their expression. But God sees beyond the expression to the intention of the heart. And when He finds a heart surrendered, even in imperfection, He is willing to form Christ within, to convict, and to shape that heart until there is transformation followed by visible expression of Christ through worship and life.

Preferences or Presence?

Let’s be honest, sometimes even in a room full of believers, worship is hard. It is hard not because God is absent, but because we’ve let our preferences get louder than our pursuit.

We critique the songs.

The volume.

The lighting.

The worship leader.

Too prophetic.
Not prophetic enough.

Too emotional.
Not emotional enough.

Too polished.
Not excellent enough.

And all the while, God is near waiting for us to get our eyes off of everything else and simply fix our hearts on Him.

The reality is: If I have a heart to worship, I will worship. I can worship in the middle of a performance-driven set or a pure, Spirit-led flow. I can worship with a hymn, a chorus, or a spontaneous melody. I don’t worship because of the atmosphere, I worship because of who He is.

Worship Beyond the Motives of Others

There was a season I found myself concerned that worship music was becoming just another genre of music in the industry. And maybe in some cases, that’s true. But then I remembered Paul’s words:

“What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached. And in this I rejoice.”

—Philippians 1:18 (ESV)

It’s not my job to judge someone else’s motive in the worship “industry”, on the stage leading worship, or in the row next to me.  It’s my responsibility to guard my own heart.

Am I worshiping in spirit and in truth?

Am I seeking God in the dry places as much as in the flowing ones?

Fixed Hearts, Worshiping Lips

I want to be like David:

• When it’s good—I praise.
• When it’s hard—I praise.
• When I have water—I praise.
• When I’m dry—I praise.

I praise not because my circumstances make it easy, but because His steadfast love is better than life.

My heart is fixed, and my lips will praise Him.

In the wilderness or in the sanctuary.

In lack or in plenty.

In clarity or in confusion.

Worship is not a response to circumstance—it’s a response to God. And He is always worthy.