We are all known by our worship. Jesus Christ comes from the Father seeking true worshippers who worship in truth and in spirit. (John 4) Worship is the application of ultimate worth to something or someone. When we worship people, or ourselves, or the stuff of earth, we will become users not lovers. I do find the classical sense of idolatry helpful; idolatry is the misappropriation of that which has been created as a substitute for God. These false gods have powerful shaping influence in our relationships and in our brokenness. We mirror these gods. The Psalmist highlights the “mirror factor” when he says,
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes but do not see.
They have ears, but do not hear; noses but do not smell.
They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their their throat.
Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.
(Psalm 115:4-8)
The mirroring factor is at work in our worship. The explosion of visual enticement through our screens is cueing up not just our brains, but also our souls — to worship. And when we do, our souls are being hollowed out. All too often, death inhabits the desperate scroll, not life. For that idolatry also works to create false views of God and a false view of living well. A living, dynamic, grace-filled life is what God intends for us. Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life of the sheep.” (John 10:10-11)
One of the beautiful observations we can make about King David is that he is more widely known for his worship of God than any other aspect of his life. The evidence of his relationship with God is recorded within the Psalms. The diversity and breadth of these prayers covers the spectrum of human emotion. David honoured God even as he talked, complained, questioned, and cried out to HIm. When I read the Psalms as an act of worship, I am drawn into deeper conversations and worship of God.
King David’s confession and prayer in Psalm 23 is a profound departure from the idolatry of his day and of ours. David is following a personal and relational real God who is sufficient for the trials and brokenness of each day.
Psalm 23 — A PSALM OF DAVID.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
for your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Worship matters. Jesus Christ is our Shepherd. He is our guide. Jesus doesn’t use people. He shows us who the Father is. He is the lover of our souls. He is the one who turns “users” into “lovers.” And for that we need grace! We need the Gospel truth of God’s pursuit of us through the life and work of Jesus Christ.
Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us — eternal life… And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are are… Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
(1 John 2:23-25, 28-3:1, 2-3)