Why is worship such a central theme in the Bible? Why is the most frequent downfall in the history of God's people described in terms of the misguided worship of idolatry? Why is the pinnacle of evil the demand of a creature to be worshipped instead of the Creator Himself? Why does the story of redemption culminate in the worship of men and of angels bowing down before the King of kings, saying, "Worthy is the lamb that was slain ..."?
I would suggest that worship ultimately is about what appears to be both true and what matters most. We find an incredible drive in humanity not only to survive but also to pursue and orient ourselves around the greatest value. And because it all revolves around value ("worthiness"), worship and love are intimately connected. Worship is an expression of our heart's desire to invest our entire being with all our abilities and emotions in the object of our greatest love.
It's interesting to examine trends in the use of language in this context. A few years ago, the comments "cool" and "awesome" were among the most commonly used expressions among teenagers. Today I hear much more often the word "epic" being used. It's all about the ultimate thrill, the ultimate concert, the ultimate experience. We are all "Cecil B. DeMille" kind of people - "normal" just won't cut it, it's got to be epic! We are hardwired somehow for worship.
But why is worship important from the perspective of the one on the receiving end? Does God have a "need" to be admired and worshipped? From all we know about God's character through Christ, the opposite is true. God, in all His splendor, beauty and might, delights in stooping down and in making Himself a servant. It is not the exception but the rule since His nature of love places value in all of His creation, and especially in us who were created in His own image. We are valued and loved with an everlasting love, with the same love the Father has for His Son. God is God. He has no need of someone else telling Him who He is or what He is. It also doesn't detract from His completeness if worship and love is withheld by any or all of His creatures, although He is delighted, just like any lover, when love is being reciprocated.
So if worship doesn't meet a need in God and God is the object of worship, why is worship still important? I'd suggest that it is about our true humanity. We have both the capability and feel the urge to make judgments of value and accordingly choose our path. Although we can arbitrarily place ultimate value in just about anything, including ourselves, and treat it accordingly as the most important thing in our daily lives, treat it as the most beautiful, most precious, most worthy of our attention, there remains only ONE who truly IS God.
Proper worship lines us up with objective reality. False worship and idolatry on the other hand create an illusion and hold us captive in a lie. The reason God cares about our worship is the very real possibility that we create our own matrix of "reality" where other "gods" take His place and where we self-destruct. A lie, as true as it may appear, cannot give life. We may FEEL alive but actually be already dead to what is true and to what truly matters. The only true, living God is determined to help us see reality again as it truly is. "The truth shall set you free!", Jesus said. It's because we're loved and treasured beyond comprehension that God through His Spirit is working to open our inner eyes and become the true temple of worship again we were designed to be, fully alive, freely choosing to love what is real and eternally enduring.
