“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” – Habakkuk 3:17-18.

IT HAS OFTEN been said that praise and worship releases God’s blessing into our lives, expels our blues and lifts our spirit. Such a perspective is very much alive and continues to pervade most (and that is being liberal) of today’s Christian worship and as ludicrous as it may sound, while diagnostically true – this ‘euphoric pill’ is gladly prescribed by most shepherds and worship leaders who in turn mislead the sheep.

The essence of worshipping the God of our salvation is not for our benefit; it is a sacrifice, something that is very costly. It is Who God is that motivates true worship, not what we get out of Him. It is a healthy reminder and a constant blow to self to know that what constitutes genuine worship is such that springs from the heart with no conditions attached. Much of what motivates modern worship is subjectively driven rather than being objectively consumed with the majesty of God; a self-orientated and blinded fascination – that many deem as worship – veils the eyes from beholding the true God in His infinite glory, power and beauty.

We fail to worship God aright when greater loves preoccupy our lives and what generally passes for worship is not worshipping the true God but rather a worship of worship, the admiration of worship leaders and a fixation with ecstatic emotions. Find one worship leader in the Old Testament that arose to make a name for himself; only One name was duly lifted up. Anyone who desires to aspire in being known as a worship leader is not fit to focus the gaze of others on to Whom alone is worthy to receive honour, glory and blessing forever and ever (Revelation 5:12).

Does worship merely consist in singing, raising our hands or kneeling on Sundays that lasts for a duration of two hours and which many are quick to call spiritual? It was a regular practise of A.W. Tozer to lay prostrate, silent and alone – without saying a word – four to five hours contemplating and beholding the awe and majesty of God – and his life reflected that. That’s the fruit of genuine worship, as with repentance that bears the fruit of righteousness. We have many ‘professional’ worshippers today but who in the eyes of God are nothing but spiritual frauds. Tozer said, “We not only tell lies, we also sing them.” How we are for rest of the week shows how true our worship has been – no matter how elated we may feel.

For the majority, it would be an eye opener to observe how many would still eagerly turn up for Sunday worship service, having felt under the weather and down in spirit, given their all to God in worship – only to have nothing in return, their circumstances to remain the same and the cross of grief still to bear. Many want their ‘share’ in the costly holy incense of worship but it is holy unto the Lord and for Him alone (Exodus 30:22-38). Many on that Great Day will be embarrassed to discover that despite having left behind a legacy in the eyes of man, their motives for worship had left nothing behind but a pile of ashes in its worth to God. As disagreeable as this may sound to many, I would add that some would even dare to have the audacity to dispute it in the light of God Himself! Such is the blind infatuation and narcissism that prevails among the majority who will defend and fight to high-hilt that it is otherwise.

It is true that as we offer the fragrance of true worship God seeks, the influence of its aroma, suffusing all that comes within close contact, is unavoidable, but somehow many have perversely pursued the incense rather than God Himself, Who desires that we delight in Him – for Who He is – with no strings attached. It is an unconditional worship even when there is no visible blessing, when the smile of God is veiled and all our godly living appears to be in vain; it is then our worship is costly, truly sacrificial, driven by an implicit trust in His ways that glorifies Him most.