And all the angels standing around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures fell down upon their faces before the throne and worshipped God, saying, "Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength to our God for ever and ever. Amen." Rev. 7:11, 12.
The seminary where I work has an annual retreat in which we head out to some country place, hear some things from a significant speaker, and just generally hang out and fellowship with each other. A couple adults usually accompany us to care for the children. Toward the close of one retreat a dozen years or so ago, the leader of the children's program came up to me and asked, "I understand that you are home-schooling your children?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Are you teaching at the graduate level?" he asked (our oldest was 10 years old at the time).
"What do you mean?" I asked, somewhat flustered.
"Well, your 10-year-old keeps giving graduate-level answers to biblical questions," he responded. "I can't believe she's only 10." Music to a father's heart.
"Oh, and there's one more thing you need to know," he went on. "I asked the kids who their hero was, the absolutely greatest person they knew, and different ones said athletes or movie stars. Then your daughter said, 'My father.' "
It hit like a bullet in my chest. Do you think I was proud? Hey, what a great father I am! Not at all, I was humbled and felt so unworthy of such adoration. But the great thing about it was the way that report bonded my heart to my daughter. I love her so much. I don't ever want to disappoint her. Her adoration is food for my soul. Nothing else could take its place.
People sometimes wonder why God "demands" worship. Is He full of pride? Does He need constantly to hear praise in order to feel good about Himself? No, I think He longs for our adoration the way any father seeks to have his children admire and love him. 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. A cleansed leper who returned to give thanks, for example, especially moved Jesus.
Yes, God does want our worship, but not because of arrogance or pride. He seeks 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."
Lord, I sense a bit of the joy You feel when I come to You in prayer and adoration. I choose to place Your need at the top of my agenda today.
The seminary where I work has an annual retreat in which we head out to some country place, hear some things from a significant speaker, and just generally hang out and fellowship with each other. A couple adults usually accompany us to care for the children. Toward the close of one retreat a dozen years or so ago, the leader of the children's program came up to me and asked, "I understand that you are home-schooling your children?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Are you teaching at the graduate level?" he asked (our oldest was 10 years old at the time).
"What do you mean?" I asked, somewhat flustered.
"Well, your 10-year-old keeps giving graduate-level answers to biblical questions," he responded. "I can't believe she's only 10." Music to a father's heart.
"Oh, and there's one more thing you need to know," he went on. "I asked the kids who their hero was, the absolutely greatest person they knew, and different ones said athletes or movie stars. Then your daughter said, 'My father.' "
It hit like a bullet in my chest. Do you think I was proud? Hey, what a great father I am! Not at all, I was humbled and felt so unworthy of such adoration. But the great thing about it was the way that report bonded my heart to my daughter. I love her so much. I don't ever want to disappoint her. Her adoration is food for my soul. Nothing else could take its place.
People sometimes wonder why God "demands" worship. Is He full of pride? Does He need constantly to hear praise in order to feel good about Himself? No, I think He longs for our adoration the way any father seeks to have his children admire and love him. 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. A cleansed leper who returned to give thanks, for example, especially moved Jesus.
Yes, God does want our worship, but not because of arrogance or pride. He seeks 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."
Lord, I sense a bit of the joy You feel when I come to You in prayer and adoration. I choose to place Your need at the top of my agenda today.
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