Worship is an oft-misunderstood term.  Many Christians think of worship as entertainment which is meant to please them. But worship is meant to focus on God, not on us.

If we examine closely the practice of worship in the Old & New Testaments we find that worship is first of all an offering of praise to God. That’s why we come together for the worship service.  Who are we serving?  We are serving the God who is “the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted”. (Isaiah 6:1) He is the One worthy of our worship.

Of course, when we truly worship God, when we understand Who we are worshipping; when we offer him our best, we may very well enjoy the experience.  Like Isaiah, we may experience his healing touch, freeing us from the bondage to our sins, soothing the aches and pains in our bodies, and comforting us about the emotional scars from our broken and strained relationships. These are the effects of simply living in a fallen world.   Who would not enjoy such soothing? Other times we are simply awed, and left breathless, by the glimpses we experience of God’s glory.

But we must keep in mind that the process God uses to bring healing may not always be comfortable. He often exposes our sin, just as he did to Isaiah. (Isaiah 6.5-8) In fact, as Jacob experienced, the healing God brings may at times leave new scars. But these scars are marks and reminders of God’s grace – a grace that is far better than the absence of scars.  So it is important to remeber that when we experience God in worship we can enjoy his presence even if we feel discomfort.  

Worship is about God – offering him the glory due him.  But it is not as if we gain nothing in the experience.  By his very nature and purpose God is changing us, transforming us to become more like we are intended to be.  Experiencing worship is part of that process.