Spiritual Disciplines: Why Worship God?

When God is rightly seen and known we will recognize him as the Great Redeemer, and we will worship him. Worship is a right response to an object worthy of worship. A quick survey of the Scriptures gives you a clear picture of how unworthy man feels in the presence of God. One example is in Isaiah 6:5 where Isaiah records this response after seeing “the Lord sitting upon a throne”. “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” There is no doubt as we experience creation as well as what has been accomplished by man, we will have moments of awe. These moments of awe are to point us to God and worship of him. This exposes the challenge of training our hearts and minds to an accurate view of God and man. While man can accomplish many great things, the question “where does this ability come from” remains. How we answer this question will likely point us in the direction of what we worship.

The only person or thing that can sustain the weight of worship is God. All other objects of worship lead to bondage and destruction while the worship of God leads to transformation. God is worthy of worship, not because of what He gives but because of who He is. If we approach the question of what to worship from a “what do I get from …” mindset then we will inevitably jump from one object of worship to another, never finding what we are looking for. There will be moments of pleasure and enjoyment but largely a journey full of emptiness. This is one of the main teachings in Ecclesiastes where the writer concludes that the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep his commandments. (Ecclesiastes 12:13) The worship of all other things will prove empty.

Even if you only consider one small aspect of creation, it is beyond our comprehension to think about God having the power to bring order from the chaos. He is our Creator. This alone gives us reason to lift his name, to make much of Him, to bow before him and yield to him. Not because he is a demanding King but because he is King. Not only King but a good King who knows and desires what is best for us. When we worship him, we not only honor and reverence him but we are doing what is best for us. We long to find something that will restore life to our hearts and the brokenness we see around us. We may not even be consciously aware of this longing, but it is there for each of us. (Romans 8:22-25) We have the ache that something is broken as we walk through this life. This ache is more noticeable at times, but there is usually a sense that something is off. Only God can deliver on this restoration our hearts ultimately long for.

We long for paradise regained where we have been restored and perfect union with God has been restored. The glorious news is that through worshiping God we can enjoy a glimpse of the restoration today. As we worship God, we will be transformed. We will begin to see the world as he does, care about the things he cares about, and seek to interact with our surroundings as he would. Worship is one of the ways we are conformed into his image. Worshiping God changes us into the kind of people who bring God’s glorious kingdom into a desperate and broken world.

Discussion Questions:

1. What makes God worthy of worship?
2. Why is worshiping God because of who he is rather than what he gives an important distinction?
3. Why is it wrong to worship anything other than God?
4. List different words the Scriptures use to describe God. (Example: Shephard, Rock)
5. How does one come to a right view of God?
6. How will worshiping God lead to transformation of a soul?
7. How will worship of other objects affect a soul?
8. Scriptures to Consider: Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Exodus 7-12, Matthew 6:19-21, Mark 4:36-41

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For Further Information:

How Clearly Do You See God?

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