Motives for Worship
But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. John 4:23 (New Living Translation, NLT)
The Word speaks a lot about God wanting our worship and praise. Is it because He is egotistical or insecure? No, He is not egotistical- He just knows Who He is. He is the Creator and the Source of all life, and He knows it. He is not insecure and in need of our praise to “prop” Him up. He is perfect and confident and full of pure faith. Egotistical pride and insecurity are from the enemy and are characteristic of fallen man- not the all-powerful Lord God.
So, why does God seek our worship? One reason He wants us to worship Him because it is beneficial to us. When we worship God, our focus is on Him and not on our problems. When we keep our eyes on God, we keep our peace and we can utilize our faith better. Remember- as long as Peter had his eyes on Jesus, he could walk on the water, but once he looked at the circumstances , he began to sink. Peace and faith are directly tied to focusing on God, and praising and worshiping Him helps us do that.
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Isaiah 26:3 (New Living Translation, NLT)
Another reason that God seeks our worship is because He is a love God. According to I John, God is love. As God pours His love out on us, He seeks that we pour our love out on Him through worship. It is a cycle. He loves us, we love Him, then He loves us again. It is part of the love relationship we share with our heavenly Father. Any healthy relationship involves the giving and receiving of love. Worship is simply us giving the Lord some love.
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. I John 4:16 (New Living Translation, NLT)
So there you have it. God’s motives for desiring our worship are not based on egotistical pride or on insecurity. Worship allows the cycle of love to continue between us and our Daddy God and it helps us to remain peaceful and in faith.
