Continuing our blog posts journey into men and worship as part of the remit of ‘When Men Worship’ (the Men’s outreach of the worship ministry At the Master’s Feet (ATMF)), we would now look at the reasons why men should worship God.
This is a logical follow-up to the first blog post that looked at ‘What does ‘worship mean to men?’. If you’ve not read that post, I strongly recommend you do that now by clicking on the title above. We need to accept what worship is before we can understand and accept why men must worship God.
Why is the ‘why’ question important?
- It is the most important element in our deliberations on the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ of worship.
- The ‘why’ is the bridge between the ‘what’ and the ‘how’.
- Our understanding of the ‘why’ will empower ‘how’ we express ‘what’ we have defined worship to be.
- It provides evaluation tools for us to regularly assess if we are still focused on worshipping God or we have shifted our focus to His blessings.
- It doesn’t only make us worshippers in the marketplace but effective teachers of others, reproducing other worshippers.
- It helps us get back into worship when we really don’t feel like it.
So, why do we worship God?
Because He is God: This is short and simple. He alone is God and He is also the creator of all things. We have no choice than to worship Him.
Nehemiah said in Nehemiah 9:6, “You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.”
Because of the awesomeness of His Glory: If Apostle John could fall prostrate before an angel because of its appearance, we begin to wonder what the glory of our Lord is like. There is just nothing that compares to it and therefore, we are compelled to worship Him. John later saw the Lord Jesus and worshipped, and he described this awesome experience in Revelation 1:12-18.
Because He is the King: If we ‘worship’ earthly kings, the King of Glory, the King of kings and the Lord of Lords commands our deepest worship. His Kingdom reigns over all nations and it is the only one that reigns forever (Isaiah 6:1-4).
Because God is jealous: Nothing else compares to Him and therefore, He cannot and will not share the worship that comes from us and should rightfully be His alone.
God commanded us in Exodus 34:14, “Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” God also said in Isaiah 42:8 that “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.”
Because God demands worship: In John 4:23, Jesus told that “Yet a time is coming and has now come when true worshippers will worship the Father in the spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks”
Because He first loved us and we love Him in return: It is in our human nature to respond to love. God first loved us and gave everything in His consistent agape love towards us. The force of that love should compel us to love Him immensely as our worship.
This is how Apostle John puts it in 1 John 4:19-20, “We love him, because he first loved us….”
Because we were created to worship: There is a deep yearning in mankind to worship something greater. As believers, we recognize that all creation (living and non-living beings) were created by God to worship Him (Luke 19:37). Its either we worship God or we worship some person or thing because we will certainly give out worship.
Because it makes us leaders in the marketplace: Scripture has shown numerous times that ultimate worshippers were ultimate warriors. To develop courage, receive divine insight, be empowered with spiritual gifts and be helped by the supernatural, we need to become worshippers.
It was the heart of worship that caused God to call David “a man after my own heart”. This worship lifestyle caused him to be anointed king over 7 of his brothers and in one of his darkest hours (when his family and those of his warriors were kidnapped from Ziklag (1 Sam 30:3-6)). His worship gave him strength to get up from desperation and go recover all that was taken.
Because it is the only means to unite our body, soul and spirit: When Paul in Romans 12:1 said, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”, he was noting that worship unifies our three main components committing them to one purpose – worship of God.
It reminds us of our frailty and keeps us humble: One of the biggest, if not the biggest, challenges we face as human beings is pride – thinking of ourselves above what we really are. Worship is the most effective tool for reminding us that we were made to worship Him and we are nothing without Him.
It is practice for what we will do in eternity: In heaven, we will join in with the twenty-four elders, the other saints, the cherubim and millions of heavenly hosts to worship before His awesome throne. (Rev 4:1-11)
In summary, worship is all about God. So, we worship God because of who He is, why He created us and how He seeks to keep us effective for His kingdom purposes.
Knowing all this, what is stopping us men from worshipping the God who has called us to worship?