According to one of the simplest definitions of worship, from the Cambridge dictionary, worship is showing a strong feeling of respect, reverence, adoration and admiration to a deity.  From this definition, it does seem like worship is directed TOWARDS a being, in this case our God. So how does it become selfish, when it’s totally about someone else? I mean is selfish worship possible? I have the following reasons to believe our worship in the modern church has actually become more about us than the God we worship.

“I DIDN’T FEEL THE WORSHIP VIBE TODAY, IT WAS A BIT OFF”

This is a statement I have heard so many times, even said myself. I would like to believe the reason is worship has become a drug. While the bible does say in Ephesians 5 v 18, do not be drunk with wine, but be filled by the Spirit, it does not mean take the Holy Spirit to make you feel the way wine does. Wine, drugs etc get us into that place of absolute euphoria, they get us on a high, to a place where our worries no longer exist. And almost similarly, in the presence of the Lord, there is fullness of joy and freedom. However, this joy (of the Lord) is more than the euphoria. This joy changes the way we see things and we carry it from that moment forward. It is not like the euphoria that disappears the moment we are sober again. So why is it soon after the great and awesome worship session, after the service, we are now back to REALITY. Back to our old worried selves. We were using worship to FEEL GOOD.

Selfish worship is when we think about feeling good when the worship was never meant for us to begin with. Like the worship leaders are the entertainers and we are on the receiving end. When the singer is not singing our favorite song and the keyboard is not on key, instead of focusing on God and lifting up our spirits as worship instruments, we start thinking of how we haven’t been put in the mood yet. Almost as if God’s worth is determined by the state of our feelings.

The good news however is, God is not selfish like us. When the praises go up, He shares His glory with us, His glory comes down and that is why worship feels good. It is in that, we forget that, the worship was not FOR US, it was for God.

When our hearts are always willing to adore God for the God that He is, we do not need to feel good first, we do not need the worship leader to sing our favorite song, because we understand it’s not about us, it’s all about God.

“I DON’T SEE HOW I CAN APPLY THIS IN MY LIFE.”

One time at church, there was a series of the Lord’s feasts from the old testament. I found the teaching to be jaw dropping. Realizing how God aligned perfectly the Passover from the time of Moses to the crucifixion left me astounded. An old tradition was in actuality a rehearsal depicting the most important point in history, where the Lamb of God was sacrificed for humanity. What I saw was a God beyond the words awesome, wise, all knowing. I could not find the words to explain it. I saw His sovereignty and His all seeing and planning capabilities beyond human ability and comprehension. I could not help but fall on my knees and worship God for being the Greatest God in the whole universe.

What was surprising though was, many people did not enjoy that series, simply because they could not figure out how to apply that knowledge in their lives. One said, “I came to church with my problems, I was expecting an exhortation on how God will pull me through this and not how Passover came to be”. It dawned on me why many people do not read books like Daniel, Revelations, other Prophets, where they describe the power and majesty of God. The reason is these books are just focusing on God and His overall plan for the whole world and not just an individual, and apparently that has nothing to do with what one is going through on a normal day. (Insert questioning emoji lol)

Selfish worship is when we fail to see God for who He is, not just who He is to us. He is our Father, our Protector etc, but all these are being derived from our existence. Even if we did not exist, even when His glory has nothing to do with us, He would still be God worthy to be worshipped. He has the whole world in His hands and we are so small if He were to look at us using the human eye, He would not see us at all.

Good news however is, God is not self-centered like we are. He uses His majesty, His great power for our good. We sometimes take it for granted, and think that is all that He is, a God who belongs to us, and has to attend to our every need and desire.

“I AM THE FAVORED OF THE LORD”

I love this declaration because it is true, encouraging and biblical. There are many scriptures that talk about what the Lord has made us to be by His grace. The only reservation I have however, (personal opinion) is that if it is all we sing and declare in our praise and our worship, it ends up being about us. We find ourselves being more encouraged by what God has made US than who God is. Once again, the direction of worship has been shifted.

It may seem as God’s glory is not worth our worship (or praise) until it has been reflected back to us, probably because we want to be POWERFUL beings. Being taken under God’s wings, the most powerful being in the universe seems to give us that power by association. Unfortunately, sometimes that is the only thing we hold on to, and it gives us a spirit of entitlement. “All things belong to God, therefore all things belong to me”. There is a difference between trust in God and entitlement, and it lies in the intention of the heart.

Selfish worship is when we seek power for ourselves in our worship, declarations and praise. The common phrase we say in worship is, fill me up till I overflow, when we have no intention whatsoever to use that overflow for others but just us. We usually seek overflow and anointing so we can be labelled man of God, prayer warrior, true worshipper by those who see us. That way we get ranked as spiritually powerful beings who can eventually influence others. We usually seek to be the salt of the earth primarily for others to NEED us for flavor, and not to voluntarily flavor others, because when others NEED us, we have power over them. We want to be blessed, so that others can see we have a big God, not in the context of a big God we serve, but a big God who serves us to earn their respect.

The good news however is, we indeed ARE the favored of the Lord and God has given us the POWER. Wouldn’t it be nice though, if we could be like Jesus, who did not consider His equality with God to be something to hold on to and to use to His own advantage but rather considered Himself nothing and worshipped with His humility. If we could be like the 24 elders, who did not consider their crowns (which they had been given by GOD), but laid them down at God’s throne, to worship Him for the Great and Majestic God He is.

WORSHIP AS A WAY OUT

The famous scripture we make reference to that shows the power of worship to break chains, is the story of Paul and Silas in prison. A powerful story. One angle we often focus on however, that has changed the use of worship, is that worship was used to break the chains. From the scripture, Acts 16 v 25, Paul and Silas did not hope that worship would rescue them, they were just worshiping God for who He was amid their troubles. They were like the Hebrew children (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) who declared that God could save them, but even if He did not, He was still the only one they would worship, Daniel 3 v 18.

Selfish worship is when we worship God so that He can save us. It’s like we take God to be a genie. We rub the lamp through worship and He appears to grant our wish. Worship has become like a bribe, flattery that will get the receiver excited, so that He does our bidding. I watched a sermon one time, a preacher confessing that when his wife was on her deathbed, he worshipped God intensely with the hope that God would in turn save his wife. More like a transaction, right? And God rebuked him, because he was using worship to manipulate Him.

We are so guilty of this often. We worship God as a way out. I would like to believe Paul and Silas were not even expecting God to let them out that time, but that did not stop them from worshiping. Whether I am in a pit or on top of the mountain, He does not cease to be a God who deserves my worship.

The good news however is, when we worship God, He rises up and our enemies scatter. God shows up and our problems vanish. He is the Light and when we get into His presence, darkness is conquered. He knows our true intentions and we can never fool him with flattery, we can never entice Him with melodies to do our bidding. What we can do though, is genuinely worship Him and lift up our hearts to give Him the Glory that He deserves, whether He rescues us, or He chooses not to. He IS Sovereign at the end of the day.

God has given Himself to us SELFLESSLY, my prayer is that we also do the same.

By Vanessa C.