Barriers To Worship #1
A shallow or cavalier understanding of God
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering and come before Him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness. 1 Chronicles 16:29
Did you know that a single strand of human hair is more technically complicated and advanced than any modern cellphone? It is—in fact, at the cellular level we still do not completely understand what is going on.
Think for a moment about how incredible our modern cellphones are—when you add in AI capabilities it is nothing short of amazing—borderline other-worldly. Who built that?—man did. So, this begs a very BIG question—if one single hair is so more technically advanced than that phone, then where did man come from—who built that?
If you believe in the God of the universe than you already know the answer. What you may not appreciate however, is the enormous distance between man and his creator. Our tendency today is to bring God down to our level—make Him like a friend. I like considering Jesus as my friend but must be careful to not allow that to get in the way of how BIG He is.
The very idea of worship suggests attaching high value. It is difficult to truly worship God if this is not foremost in the worshipper’s mind and heart. We need to approach our worship as the psalmist does in, I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom. Psalm 145:1-3
Let’s look at our Lord through the eyes of Job:
He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; He suspends the earth over nothing. He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight. He covers the face of the full moon, spreading His clouds over it. He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters for a boundary between light and darkness. The pillars of the heavens quake, aghast at His rebuke. By His power he churned up the sea; by His wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces. By His breath the skies became fair; His hand pierced the gliding serpent. And these are but the outer fringe of His works; how faint the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can understand the thunder of His power?”
Job 26:7-14
The New King James concludes with, the mere edges of His ways.
The Living Bible says, some of the minor things He does.
The Good News suggests, only hints of His powers, whispers. Who can know how truly great God is?
In our opening TargetPoint article we discover that worshipping God is our most primary responsibility—through that we are empowered to truly become The Man God Intended. If you desire to truly become a worshipper, then you need to process these barriers so let me leave you with some ideas about how to see God in a most worthy way.
Begin by doing a search for all the verses that have to do with worshipping God. List them and even print them out if that helps. Then, make it a part of your daily devotional time to read and meditate upon them. Sometimes I will turn the verse into a prayer… Lord, I ascribe unto You the glory that is due Your name; I Worship You in the beauty of Your holiness. Psalm 29:2
Whenever I am tempted to become cavalier about who He is I try to imagine eternity. Think about that—it never ends. Then think about God—He never began—always was—and always will be. It doesn’t get any bigger than that.
In part 3 of this series, I will unpack the 2nd barrier to worship, A narrow theological perspective. Here we will discuss how our focus on worship form gets in the way of true worship substance—stay tuned.
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28-29
In closing, I’m reminded of Max Lucado’s words in his book In the Grip of His Grace.
“The loss of mystery has led to the loss of majesty”
The more we know the less we believe. No wonder there is no wonder.
We think we have figured it all out. Strange, don’t you think?
Knowledge of the workings shouldn’t negate the wonder.
Knowledge should stir wonder.
Who has more reason to worship than the astronomer who has seen the stars?
Than the surgeon who has held a heart?
Than the oceanographer who has pondered the depths.
Announcement: Vince’s new book The Great Exchange is now available for purchase on Amazon. You can find it by clicking on the image or here.
Here is a summary:
In over thirty years spent ministering to and discipling men, Vince D'Acchioli has found that the most significant stumbling block men face has to do with letting go of their past. As men, our great need is to experience significance, and our greatest fear comes from failure - not hitting the mark. While our deep desire is to ultimately discover who we are (identity) and why we are here (destiny), we become hamstrung by past negative life experiences. During this brief journey you will discover how to understand, process and overcome issues dealing with fear, anger, unforgiveness, and guilt/shame.
The Great Exchange, My Past for God's Future is a 30-day action plan. Each day offers a reflection or teaching along with corresponding Bible verses suggesting both further reading and amplification on the day’s subject. Each week ends with Growth Keys, questions for discussion, review, and space for personal journaling, plus Bonus Video Teachings for each week.