Matt Redman. Ventura, Calif.: Regal Books, 2001. 126 pp. $12.99.
From the moment I opened Matt Redman’s The Unquenchable Worshipper I faced a dilemma: to move onto the next chapter as quickly as I could because I was hungry for more, or to mull and ponder the chapter I’d just finished because I liked the taste it left.
Redman, songwriter and worship leader from England (best known for his song “The Heart of Worship”) offers ten short chapters that provide a keen perceptiveness into biblical worship and present the practical, moment-by-moment nature of the worship to which God calls us. Each chapter includes scriptural basis and experiential anecdotes from his life, along with quotes from the likes of Eugene Peterson, C. S. Lewis, Oswald Chambers, Fanny Crosby, Richard Foster, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and William Barclay.
Each chapter (with titles like “The Undone Worshipper” and “The Unveiled Worshipper”) takes the reader on an adventure in self-discovery. Redman entices us to leave behind any notion that worship is based on human performance of particular rites and rituals. Rather, Redman claims, authentic worship comes from hearts that are revived, hearts that recognize the importance of intimacy with God and reverence before God, hearts that understand worship to be only the beginning of encountering God—not the end.
Chapter by chapter, Redman makes his case that worship must not be an event based on the “warm fuzzy feelings” we strive to achieve for ourselves. Instead he says that worship is an opportunity to humbly and purposefully offer ourselves to God because God alone is worthy of our efforts and energy. What lies at the heart of worship is becoming an unquenchable worshiper of a holy God.
Redman has authored a book that points the way and satisfies deeply.