Have you ever waited months for a movie to come out, only for it to be a dud?
Ever saved up a bunch of money to buy something, only for it to break soon after?
Ever invited someone to a unique experience, only for them to blow it off at the last-minute?
In those moments, you may have uttered words I've spoken myself—"What a waste!" We feel like we wasted time, money, or an opportunity when it didn't happen as planned or imagined. Waste is a terrible problem in our world today, and our aversion to wasting resources manifests in our lives with God. Who hasn't felt like their sacrifice, waiting, or efforts were wasted when God's ways or timing confused them?
Elevation Rhythm certainly understands our pain, as evidenced by the lyrics of their song "At the Altar." The song acknowledges the fear we feel when we prepare to sacrifice for God or perform an act of worship unrestrainedly.
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The chorus speaks of this no-waste worship mentality.
"Where the heart of surrender
Meets the hands of the Maker
Nothing I wouldn't offer
Thеre's no waste at the altar."
The song includes several nods to events recorded early in John 12, where Mary makes a sacrifice to worship Jesus. There, John writes, "Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus' feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance." This jar costs an annual salary (think $50,000 in modern-day American dollars), which created quite a stir among the disciples, with Judas protesting the jar would've been better spent funding gifts to the poor. Jesus rejected the protests, describing how Mary's act prepared Him for his burial. Jesus honored Mary's act of worship.
Similarly, "At the Altar" invites worshipers to bring God a sacrifice in light of all that God has done for them.
"It's not lost on me what You saved me from
I'm running
Stumbling, I know, but I'm coming
To give You this offering."
Throughout the song, ELEVATION RHYTHM highlights three elements of this sacrifice.
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First, our sacrifice is honest, emerging from where we are, not where we wish we were. In a post on the ELEVATION RHYTHM Instagram feed, Tiffany Hudson wrote, "At The Altar" is an invitation to lay everything before the feet of Jesus. It's easy to think we can only come before Him when we have our lives put together. But he doesn't need together, he's okay with tears. He doesn't want our perfection, just our honesty."
Like the woman in Luke 7 who washed Jesus' feet with her tears, we know Jesus meets us in our brokenness, so shifting from honesty to pretending is unnecessary with the one who already knows all about us.
Second, our sacrifice is significant. In an interview earlier this year, Davide Mutendji of ELEVATION RHYTHM stated, "This song was birthed from a conversation with us wanting to bring God more than just another song…The thing that shocked the disciples in this story wasn't what Mary did, but what she gave. We wanted to write a song where the heart was not just about giving an offering but at the core an invitation to bring Jesus our significant sacrifices."
There are times when worship costs us. It requires sacrifice when we don't want to worship, trust when we don't understand what God is doing, and focus on God when other things are competing for our attention.
Third, our sacrifice is an act of trust. In that same interview, Mutendji continued, "Significant sacrifices can look like anything. It can look like an expensive jar of perfume, the disappointment of a broken dream, the fake perfect version of us we create on social media, a relationship, or an addiction. Even fear and anxiety, when brought to the altar as a sacrifice, can be transformed in the presence of our Savior. Jesus wants it all, so don't second guess yourself because there's no waste at the altar!"
"Wasted" is a word that sums up my fear. When I stay faithful and trust God through a time where I'm sacrificing in faith, I'm scared that what I give up might be a waste. When I'm suffering, I wonder, "What's the point of all this?!" When something doesn't work out, I think, "Well, that was a waste."
Yet, the Scriptures remind us that we serve a God who wastes nothing. The God who didn't waste Jesus's death and promises to work all things for the good of those who love Him will not waste our worship.
When it's not easy to worship and when you're afraid that what you're doing in trust and faith might be wasted, turn on "At the Altar." Meditate on the truth that "He can use anything" and "there's no waste at the altar" as you walk in obedience and dependence on God.
Scott Savage is a pastor, author, and speaker with the best last name in the world. Scott’s writing helps people transform difficult circumstances into places where they can thrive. He leads Cornerstone Church in Prescott, Arizona, and loves watching movies with his wife and three kids. You can begin Scott’s life-changing project, The 21 Day Gratitude Challenge, today.
