Does God Demand Worship?
And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen, blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.” – Rev 7:11-12. NASB
People sometimes wonder why God “demands” to be worshipped. Is He full of pride? Does He need to constantly hear praise in order to feel good about Himself? No, I think he longs for our adoration the way any father longs to be admired and loved by his children. God could be self-sufficient, but He has a tender ‘heart.’ His love makes Him vulnerable to those He loves. He is like a mother delighted to receive her child’s offering of dandelions. Jesus was moved by a cleansed leper who returned to give thanks. Jesus is moved by any expression of admiration or worship that you do towards Him or on His behalf: “If you have done it to one of the least of humanity, you have done it unto me.”
Worship must be spontaneous, or it is not worship.
Those around the throne fell down in adoration. They know God – worship is a relational thing! I cannot worship a God I do not know. Jesus said, “This is life eternal, that they might know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3). I can only know someone in whose presence I have spent time. As I have reflected my way (so far) through the book of Revelation, I have gained a greater picture of the God I worship. Like the heavenly beings around the throne, I want to fall down and worship.
Yes, God does need our worship, but not on account of arrogance or pride. He needs it because He has chosen to put His heart in a place where he needs us. He needs it because our love makes a difference within Him. As Augustine put it, “God thirsts to be thirsted after.” Do we not want our own children to love us?
God is to be praised with our voices, but our hearts must go with it, or it is not worship at all. Earthly praise is our rehearsal for our eternal song. By grace we learn to sing, and in glory we will continue to sing. If we go to places of worship to look about or listen to music, then we are not worshipping God. I cannot, without difficulty, draw a line between holy wonder and real worship; for when the soul is overwhelmed with the majesty of God’s glory, though it may not express itself in song, or even utter its voice with bowed head and humble prayer, yet it silently adores. There are some things that can be learned by the head, but Christ crucified can only be learned by the heart. This will be our science and song for all eternity.