If you were to ask 10 different people for their definition of worship you'd get 15 different answers.John Piper made a statement which sheds a revealing light on the subject of worship. Piper doesn't begin with the word worship in his assertion, but by the end of the first sentence I immediately understood what he was talking about.
It's not so much a definition of worship as it is an observation of the conflict we find as we approach worship and endeavor to do so in Spirit and truth. Here's what he said: "There are two great passions in the universe: God's passion to be glorified and man's passion to be satisfied."
As I digested the sentence I began to read on: "These two [God's passion to be glorified and man's passion to be satisfied] do not need to conflict. They can come to simultaneous fulfillment through worship, because God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him alone."
Leaving the sanctuary satisfied is not a guarantee that God has been glorified. Unfortunately, for too many worshipers satisfaction is found in singing the types of songs they prefer, hearing the style of preaching they like, and gettin' their praise on in the way that is most comfortable to them. In commenting on people's penchant for gravitating to what feels familiar and agreeable, the Dad of a friend of mine said this: "There's a church for everybody."
I'd like to use the next few posts to stimulate a dialogue about the dynamics of worship, both corporate and personal. It's my prayer that for each of us, our worship will begin to focus more and more on His passion to be glorified, and that we will find our satisfaction in His glorification. Stay tuned.
Never made this connection before "God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him alone". That is interesting, gotta reflect on that some.
ReplyDeleteReflect away and give me some feedback.
ReplyDeleteTom Kraeuter is a guy I highly respect in regards to his insights into the subject of worship. I've sat under his teaching as well as having read his books. In commenting on Piper's statement he says in his book "Worship Is What?":
"There is something fulfilling about worship. Unfortunately it is not fulfilling for everyone. Most people formulate their ideas about worship from experiences... these are not necessarily all bad, but they are not necessarily all biblical either."
Hopefully we can keep this dialogue going.