I
have
an answer for the question above.
It may
not be the answer you expect, but it is true. Consider Matthew 14.
The
chapter begins with John the Baptist’s beheading. Verse 13 notes that “When
Jesus heard what
had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place”. However, the crowds followed,
and he spent
the day teaching and healing (verse 14).
As evening approached, Jesus miraculously fed the crowd of
5000 plus,
and then told the disciples to get back in the boat while he spent
some time
praying (verses 15-22).
During
a
stormy night, Jesus came to them, walking on the water. Peter decided that he would
like to try that too.
You likely know how that
turned out
(verses 28-31).
After
Peter’s rescue, we are told that, “When they climbed into the
boat, the wind
died down” (verse 32). This
is the second
time that a storm on the Sea of Galilee was suddenly stilled. The
first time,
the disciples were confused and asked, “What king of man is this? Even the winds and the wave
obey him!”
(Matthew 8:27).
This
time, their reaction was different: “Those who were in the boat
worshipped him
and said, ‘Truly you are the Son of God!’” (verse 33).
The
disciples worshipped because they finally got it! They saw who Jesus was and
they understood
their place by comparison. They
worshipped him because it was the only response that made any
sense.
So,
why
does God need your worship?
The
answer: He doesn’t! The creator of the universe
is not some
insecure 13-year-old that needs a world full of people worshipping
him so that
he feels good about himself.
God
does not need our worship; We do!
We
need
to worship because it reminds us who is in charge. We need to worship because it
counteracts our
self-interested motivations. We
need to
worship so that we stop getting and start giving. We need to worship so that we
are transformed
(Romans 12:1-2).
When
we
neglect worship, whether formally on Sunday morning or privately
every day of
the week, it is an indication that we have forgotten something
important. We have
forgotten who God is and where we fit
in his creation.
Worship
must be focused on God, but it is for our benefit.
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