"The worship at church was so good today. I felt the Presence of God."
If you are a church-goer, you've probably heard that statement or something like that. Depending on the kind of church you go to, this could even be a common post-service discussion. Or it's quite likely that you have said it yourself. I know that feeling. There are days when a song's lyrics are particularly meaningful to me, and days when I feel God close to me as I sing to Him. I am so grateful that God chooses to reveal Himself to us in ways we understand. But, there are other days when I don't "feel the Presence of God". Who is to be blamed? The worship leader didn't do a good job? Or, was I too distracted to tune into God? Well, God has promised to be with us (Deuteronomy 31:6). So, by faith, I know God is with me, whether I feel it or not.
That makes me wonder if that is even a good way to assess a worship service. What if worship is not about me feeling good? What if worship is our privilege to express our adoration to the great Creator and Savior? If we pause and realize that the object of our worship is God, I think we will be asking God to rate our worship, instead of us doing it. Inspiring music, stimulating moves, and an electric audience may be enough to impress people and draw a crowd, but God is more pleased with how true we are in our worship. (John 4:24) As the lyrics of a famous worship song goes: "You're looking into my heart". We can put up a perfect worship pose for the people around us, but God doesn't even approve if the posture of our heart doesn't match that.
We don't want to be the ones whom God will look at and say:
"These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught." (Isaiah 29:13)
Besides, worship is not limited to Sunday morning. It is a lifestyle. As Paul writes to the Romans, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your true and proper worship." (Romans 12:1, 2)
So, may be our focus as we worship God should be how He feels, not how we feel. And a more appropriate way to evaluate might be asking God, "Are you pleased with my worship, Lord?"
