Worshiping God

The first goal of congregational worship is exalting God. This certainly begins with the declaration of objective, biblical truth about God, but it ought to end by affecting what we feel toward God. Scripture repeatedly teaches and models the fact that truth about God invites a response. In fact, it commands a response: "Delight yourself in the Lord" (Psalm 37:4). Jesus proclaimed that the example of the woman who poured perfume on his feet would be told wherever the gospel was preached (Mark 14:6-9). To find pleasure in God, and to express it, is an integral part of exalting him.

John Piper, says it this way in the 10th anniversary edition of his book, Desiring God: "His goodness shines with brightest rays when we delight in all His ways. His glory overflows its rim when we are satisfied in Him. His radiance will fill the earth when people revel in His worth The beauty of God's holy fire burns brightest in the heart's desire."

We are not simply to recite facts about God, like a student reviewing the multiplication tables. We are to delight in Him! God is exalted when all our energies are directed to one end -- being satisfied in Him. Again, quoting John Piper, "The engagement of the heart in worship is the coming alive of the feelings and emotions and affections of the heart. Where feelings for God are dead, worship is dead." (John Piper, Desiring God, p. 68)Does this mean that there is always a perfect 1:1 correspondence between true worship (internal) and certain emotions or behaviors (external)? Does the external always prove the internal? Does the internal always produce the external?

During corporate worship, it may be difficult to tell from external evidence whether someone is delighting in God at any given moment. But a person who remains internally unmoved while singing biblically grounded, God-honoring lyrics brings no glory to God, and an argument can be made that he or she is not truly worshiping God at all. God is honored by the joy we take in reviewing His kind, gracious, and merciful acts toward us, not merely by the process of that review. If my professions of love for my wife never carried any hint of emotion, wouldn't she begin to doubt my sincerity? (I hope so!)

The sincerity of our exaltation is measured, first, by our commitment to truth: We are seeking to exalt the God who is presented in Scripture, not our subjective impressions of Him. Second, it is measured by the strength of our affections. God expects us to express emotion in keeping with the truths He is revealing to us about Himself. Everything from quiet reflection to unbridled exuberance can have a place. Other emotions might include wonder, amazement, deep sorrow, ecstatic joy, or sober circumspection. All are a natural result of being affected by who God is and what He has done, as we seek to worship Him in spirit and truth.