Worth-ship

We have seen his star as it arose, and we have come to worship him. Matthew 2:2

I doubt the Magi came to sing baby Jesus some lullabies or perform a barbershop quartet. They came to worship Him. When they saw Him, they fell down before Him and gave Him gifts.  Worship is our response to the revelation of God. It’s what we do when we see Him as He truly is.

Our word “worship” evolved from an Old English word meaning, “worthiness.” The first time the word “worship” is used in the Bible is when Moses returned to Egypt with his message of deliverance. He and Aaron met with the leaders of Israel and told them of God’s plan to free them from slavery. “When they realized that the Lord had seen their misery and was deeply concerned for them, they all bowed their heads and worshiped” (Exodus 4:31).

What other response can there be to the realization that the Lord God is deeply concerned for you? That He is mindful of you?  That He cares for you? When God’s heart is revealed, we recognize that He is good!  All our doubts and the lies that we believed crumble when they come face to face with the truth. The King of heaven, the Maker of the earth, not only knows me, but cares about what happens to me.

As we come to see God more clearly, we also see ourselves more clearly. I’m a sinner in desperate need of the Savior. On my own, I have absolutely no hope of making up the difference between my present condition and the perfection of God. I agree that His perfection is good and it’s what I want, but all my efforts to get there fall short. I hear a good word and think, “That’s right, that’s what I need to do,” but inevitably, my good intentions crumble, often at the slightest challenge.

My need magnifies God’s goodness, His kindness in making salvation and rescue available to someone like me. An outside observer can say, “Yes, God must be good if He will do that for someone like that.”  To me personally, His goodness means that I have hope even when it seems as though things are hopeless. He has already done all that’s necessary and He makes His perfect record freely available to overwrite my own. He not only lifts me from the dust and makes me clean, He gives me a new position as His beloved child.  He gives all that goodness and honor to someone who is rebellious and unworthy and will continue to miss the mark even after all that He’s done for me.

To see that kind of goodness calls for worship.

“You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power.” Revelation 4:11