Worship God

Everybody worships. Everybody may not worship God, but everybody has something or someone they desire and crave above all else. That which is central is that which we worship. We may or may not worship the God we sing to on a given Sunday. As we sing, we may in fact be dreaming about and contemplating the true object of our worship: the next deal, the prospective spouse, the respect and admiration of others, etc. What is our central hope, that one thing we long for that will change everything if we get it? What is our central love, that one thing we could not lose or life would not be worth living? What is our central trust, that one thing we look to for strength and confidence in life? How we answer these questions reveals the object of our worship. God is looking for a people who will make him their ultimate hope, their ultimate love, and their ultimate trust. In short, he is looking for a group of people who will let him be their God, the object of their worship. He longs for this, not because he needs this from us, but because he knows we need him for our own well-being and satisfaction. Many view worship as a lifeless ritual of singing songs at a church gathering. Jesus challenged such thinking when he quoted Isaiah, saying, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Matthew 15:8). Gathering with a group of others to sing songs of worship is only authentic worship when God is that person’s deepest and truest desire. A person may sing to God, but if that person’s most central desire is about vocational advancement, financial gain, or relational satisfaction, then it is not true worship. True worship happens not only in the context of congregational singing, but it happens throughout one’s week as we display with our every decision that which we truly value.