In worship our focus is not on self, not on our problems, not on other people or circumstances, but on God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But too often we drag into worship all those everyday life issues that have concerned us over the past week or more. When we come to worship we bring our economic and medical worries, our difficulties with loved ones and friends, our hopes and plans for the future. We may be thinking about a business deal, a forthcoming trip, the meal that should be cooked that day, or friends we ought to call. All these distracting issues which demand our time and energies need to be set aside when we come to worship. Our duty is to focus on Christ and what is being done in His name. Our responsibility is to turn our attention away from what we have or haven’t done during the week and to resist the temptation to think about our future plans. Our calling is to be present to the action that is taking place, to focus on the moment, to center on the Christ whom we have come to celebrate. True worship demands our attention and beckons us to put ourselves into it, heart and soul.
We live in a world where the gods of contemporary civilization grab for our attention and commitment. The gods of materialism, pleasure, sensualism, and success at any cost, which plague us on a daily basis, need to be exposed for what they are. In beholding our God, these gods that would divert us and send us away from Christ are exposed and sent on the run. Worship is not complete without beholding our God, without seeing and experiencing the greatness of His power and love.
Borrowed
One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple.
For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle;
In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.
And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,
And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.
Psalm 27:4-6