Does God Want Our Worship?

Does God want us to worship Him? That may seem like an odd question to some of you but it is one that is raised from time to time. Generally, those who raise this question seem to suggest that if God wants us to worship Him then somehow He is a self-centered narcissist. It is clear from the Bible that God does desire to have people worship Him. Jesus said, “But an hour is coming and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers” (John 4:23). God the Father seeks worshippers!

In fact, the story of the exodus makes this point as well. God said to Moses, “Certainly, I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain” (Exodus 3:12). The Lord intended that those He set free should worship Him. Throughout the Old Testament God demands that His people worship Him exclusively and according to the prescribed mandates which were give by God Himself. Closely connected to worship is the command to “love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Deut. 6:5; cf. Matt. 22:37). God calls us to give Him our highest love and greatest service.

Furthermore, the scenes of heaven described in Revelation 4-5 indicate that the people of God will forever be consumed with worshipping God. One of the most striking statements in this section of Scripture comes from the twenty-four elders who are clothed in white and fall down to worship the One sitting on the throne. The elders say, “Worthy are you, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created” (Rev. 4:11). It is not only true that God demands and desires our worship, but it is also true that He deserves our worship.

While we should recognize that God demands, desires and deserves our worship, we must also understand that He does not need our worship. Paul said in his sermon on Mars Hill, “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is he served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things” (Acts 17:24-25). The God revealed in the Bible is not a pathetic personality looking for attention. He is not a self-centered narcissist who needs the admiration and adoration of others.

In His goodness and grace, God created us with a capacity to know Him and serve Him. Through the knowledge and service of God, we find our greatest joy and pleasure. John Piper put it this way, “God’s ultimate goal, therefore, is to preserve and display his infinite and awesome greatness and worth, that is, his glory.” When we realize that the greatest thing God can give us is the gift of Himself, then we come to understand why we find true contentment and joy in the worship and service of God. God is seeking worshippers and it is for His glory and our good that He does.