{Worship | What's that mean anyway?}

So, when I say worship where does your mind go? Music? The twenty minutes before the sermon on Sunday morning? Does it stir up any weird feelings? Have you ever tried to define the word worship? I have. Several times. I’ve written pages and pages to define it. Once I was asked to sum up my ideal of worship in one short phrase. Boy, was that a tough assignment, but here’s what I came up with: No Greater Love, No Greater Privilege. Yeah, that about sums it up. Let me explain. God demonstrated great and lavish love and because of that I am extended the privilege of worship. I am so grateful for that lavish love and for the invitation to worship. There have been seasons of my life when worship was the key to lifting me out of the pit I was buried in. It has been the thing that helped me put one foot in front of the other while walking through painful moments. That’s because worship reminds us of who God is. I can't imagine a better way to spend space on this blog than writing about those kinds of things, the kind that remind us who God is. See, the invitation to worship is one of the greatest privileges extended to man, and worship matters for all of us. It's what we were actually created to do. To worship Him. To live in His presence. To know Him. To reflect His glory. It’s all about Him, really. So, let’s start there, because it's the only appropriate starting point for any conversation on worship. God. 

Worship begins and ends with God. In the beginning God created, and He initiated worship when He spoke the world into existence. Everything was created by Him and for Him. But, here’s the thing: God did not create out of necessity; He created out of desire. Did you get that? He created us because He wanted relationship with us, and worship is born out of that relationship. A.W. Tozer explained it this way, “God who does not need anything nevertheless desires the adoration and worship of His created children.” That’s it. Worship, at it’s core, is about the relationship between God and His people. Worship cannot happen apart from relationship. It just can’t. Scripture paints a clear picture of God’s plan of redemption and salvation. It’s a plan where relationship and worship are inextricably woven together. True to His character, God started the whole thing before the foundations of the world. We didn’t have to do a thing. 

God created you because He wanted to. I’m talking about the Creator of the Universe. The One who wrapped the night sky with a starry blanket. The One who knows your name. The One who knows the number of hairs on your head. He wanted to create you. He loves you. Let that sink in. 

Looking back in Scripture, we see God’s intention in the Garden of Eden.  Adam and Eve had fellowship with God, meaning they spent time in His presence. Every provision was made so that they could know Him and worship Him. We also see the same intention with Moses and the Children of Israel. God spoke to Moses as a man speaks to a friend. In His first meeting with Moses, He established His purpose for the nation of Israel when He said, “When you have brought my people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” And again when He said, “Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.” He didn’t stop there! God reminded Moses of His plan again when He said, “Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them.” So, what does any of that have to do with us? God’s intention for His people (all people) has been the same from the beginning — it hasn’t changed.

See, we were created for worship. This is not new information. Yet, I wonder if we overlook the implications of that truth. What does that really mean? Does it mean we were created to simply gather each week and sing a few songs before the pastor teaches? Absolutely not. Being created for worship means being created for relationship with the Creator.  We were all born with a God-given desire to worship. But here’s the thing: We were also created with the capacity to choose. What I’m saying is that the choice is not whether we will worship; rather, the choice becomes about who or what we worship. Every person walking the planet will worship something or someone.  It’s true. Just like the sun was created to give warmth and light, human kind was created to worship. And, God is the only worthy recipient of that worship. 

Worship is who we are before God every moment, every day. We have to be intentional. We have to worship Him actively and on purpose. Thankfully, He’s given us some instruction through Paul in Romans 12. 

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. (The MSG)

Yeah. What if we do that.