John Piper on Worship

In my quiet time this morning (I'm doing Life as a Vapor), I read John Piper's letter to a man who was against worship because it made God seem 'arrogant', especially since we didn't 'ask' to be created.

Piper mentioned a few things that struck a chord with me. 

He mentioned that, of course, God is more than worthy of our praise. He is greatly to be praised because He is great! "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised." (Psalm 96:4) Also, Piper says the Bible talks about praise as being pleasurable in Psalm 16:11. This is all undeniable.

But some of my favorite things Piper said was that God demands praise from us because He demands happiness from us. "Deep in our hearts we know that we were not made to be made much of. We were made to make much of something great. The best joys are when we forget ourselves, enthralled with greatness. The greatest greatness is God's." How beautiful is that? He couldn't have said it better - the most joyful moments lie in the moments when we aren't focused on ourselves. Standing before Niagara Falls. Canoeing through the shining lake in Canada. Standing in the Sears Centre with a thousand other people, singing God with Us by MercyMe...just like the picture above. 

Another beautiful thing Piper talks about is that God gifts us with praise out of love. "The reason God seeks our praise is not because He won't be complete until He gets it. He is seeking our praise because we won't be complete until we give it. This is not arrogance. It is love." See, it all makes sense now. Of course God doesn't NEED our praise. He doesn't need anything! It's us that are in need. And so God gives. He gives us the gift of music so that we can feel His presence and revel in His beauty. For me at least, worshiping makes me despise sin. Because in those moments of praise it's so clear: God is so infinitely better than anything our sin promises. Worship is such a gift. An amazing, beautiful gift!

Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!

For He has done marvelous things; 

His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.
The LORD has made known His salvation;

His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth;

Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.
Sing to the LORD with the harp,

With the harp and the sound of a psalm,
With trumpets and the sound of a horn;

Shout joyfully before the LORD, the King.
      
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness,

The world and those who dwell in it;
Let the rivers clap their hands;

Let the hills be joyful together
before the LORD, 

For He is coming to judge the earth. 

With righteousness He shall judge the world, 

And the peoples with equity.

-Psalm 98