Lost in Worship

"When religion has said its last word, there is little that we need other than God Himself.  The evil habit of seeking God-and effectively prevents us from finding God in full revelation.  In the and lies our great woe.  If we omit the and we shall soon find God, and in Him we shall find that which we have all our lives been secretly longing."  So writes A. W. Tozer in his book, The Pursuit of God. 
 
God wired us to worship Him.  It is part of our DNA.  This unique characteristic that God placed inside of every person must be satisfied.  The desire to worship is so strong that we will do anything to fulfill it.  We will build an altar and bow at it, if not to God, to someone or something else.
 
Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us this:  "...He has set eternity in the hearts of men..."  God is an Eternal God.  Worship is a condition of the heart.  Our hearts are on a quest to be satisfied through worship.  The truth is that worship that is not God-centered will never satisfy.  However, worship that is God-centered is sacrificial and requires that we yield ourselves to Him.  Here is how Romans 12:1 says it:  "...In view of God's mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—This is your spiritual act of worship."  Worship is a choice.  We get to choose the altar where we will bow.
 
The psalmist knows how to express the details of worship.  "Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods.  For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.  Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and glory are in His sanctuary.  Ascribe (Offer a concrete expression of praise.) to the Lord, O families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering and come into His courts.  Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth." (Psalm 96:4-9)
 
Here is the good news:  The Lord draws closer and closer to us in response to our worship. (James 4:8) Worship is total surrender to God's will.  God's desire is for us to be immersed and saturated in His Presence.  He wants us lost in worship.  Lost means that we are hidden in Christ, ruin for anything else and cannot find our way back to life as it used to be.  As we abide in Him and express our love and awe for Him, we will begin to carry the evidence that we have been with God.
 
I want to leave you with the words of a worship song written by Israel Houghton--"I Live to Worship You."
 
       "Away, Away from the noise, alone with You.
        Away, Away to hear Your voice, and meet with You.
        Nothing else matters.  My one desire is...
 
        Chorus:    To worship You, I live.  To worship You, I live; I live to worship You.
                         To worship You, I live.  To worship You, I live; I live to worship You.
                         Oh, Oh, Oh, Ohhhhh.  Oh, Oh, Oh, Ohhhhh.  Oh, Oh, Oh, Ohhhhh.  Oh, Oh, Oh, Ohhhhh.
 
        Away, Away from the noise, alone with You.
        Away, Away to hear Your voice; It's been a while,
        But hear my heart cry again."    Chorus.
 
These are words that demonstrate a true heart of worship!