God & Science
Why does God demand worship? That sounds insecure.
Short answer
God doesn't need our worship: "Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything" (Acts 17:25). Worship is for our good. It's what happens when we see something wonderful and say so, and C. S. Lewis noticed that praise completes our joy. And this God, far from being vain, "did not come to be served, but to serve" (Mark 10:45).
In simple words: God doesn't need us to praise him. When we see how good and amazing he is, praising him fills us with joy, like cheering for something wonderful.
Response
If a person demanded that everyone praise him, we'd rightly call him an egotist. So why is God different?
First, God doesn't need anything from us. "If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof" (Psalm 50:12). He "does not live in temples made by human hands. Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything" (Acts 17:24-25). Worship doesn't fill some empty space in God.
Second, praise is natural when we see something worth praising. People rave about a sunset, a great song or a favorite team without being told to. C. S. Lewis admitted that God's call to be praised once troubled him, until he noticed that "we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment." If God really is the most good, beautiful and loving being there is, calling us to worship him is calling us to the greatest joy there is: "You will fill me with joy in Your presence" (Psalm 16:11).
Third, everyone worships something: success, approval, pleasure, ourselves. Those things can't carry that weight, and in the end they crush us. Worshiping the true God puts everything else in its proper place.
Finally, look at the God who asks for worship. Jesus washed his disciples' feet (John 13:1-17) and said, "even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). An insecure ruler takes everything and gives nothing. This God gave himself.
Key evidence
- Scripture says God needs nothing from us (Psalm 50:12; Acts 17:24-25).
- People naturally praise what they enjoy, and the praise completes the joy.
- Jesus, God the Son, came to serve and to give his life (Mark 10:45; John 13:1-17).
Bible passages
- Acts 17:24-25 God is not served as if he needed anything.
- Psalm 50:12 "If I were hungry, I would not tell you."
- Psalm 16:11 Joy in God's presence.
- Mark 10:45 The Son of Man came to serve.
- John 13:1-17 Jesus washes his disciples' feet.
Quotes
“We delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation.”
C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms (1958)
“There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship.”
David Foster Wallace, Kenyon College commencement address (2005)
Discussion questions
- What do you find yourself praising without being asked? Why?
- What are some things people worship today without calling it worship?
- How does Jesus washing feet change the way you picture God?