Three Little Words

“Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.” (Mt 15:25 AV)

There is much confusion as to what constitutes worship.  Most of what is called worship today is man-centered emotionalism.  It is music designed to manipulate the heart into thinking it is having an emotional experience.  Worship is nothing more than acknowledging God for who and what He is in the context of our own limited and fallen humanity.  It is not seven-eleven music.  The same seven words sung eleven times over.  It is not a rhythmic concert with hopping, jumping, and even dancing.  There are other schools of thought that do the same thing from the other end of the spectrum.  A perfectly balanced orchestra playing complicated music with sophisticated harmonies doesn’t mean there is sincere worship.  This woman whose daughter was vexed with a spirit came to Jesus and said three little words.  Three little words that were the definition of depth of worship.  LORD help me.  That is all that was needed.  There was no concert needed.  There were no musical techniques that were practiced for hours on end.  There was no construct of emotional lyrics.  Just three little words was all that was needed.

In those three little words are a heart that is both broken and dependent.  In those three little words are a spirit of resignation and faith.  This lady, who had done all she could to help her daughter came to the end of herself.  She had no were else to turn.  She addressed Jesus by the title, ‘LORD’.  This is more than a simple name or tag.  It is an admission of who Jesus is and what Jesus can do.  In these three little words, this lady laid her heart out open and vulnerable to a God who loved her and cared for her more than she could appreciate.  When she uttered those three little words, there was no one else.  There was no doctor who might be an answer to a serious problem.  There was no husband there to comfort her.  In there three little words, there was no church family that surrounded her to bear her up in her frailties.  It was her and Jesus alone.  Only Jesus could help her.  By asking, she is stating a timeless truth.  God is God alone.  Only God can meet her most desperate needs and she is not too proud to ask for His hand.

We think that a show is required for genuine worship to occur.  The bigger the show, the greater the worship.  Quality is far more important than quantity.  The condition of the heart is far more important than the talents of the hand.  All it took was a surrendered heart and three little words.  There was no more beautiful act of worship recorded than this mother who made Jesus Christ her all.  Just three little words did more for worship than all that was going on at the temple.  Just three little words moved the hand and heart of God – and that is what matters!