Desperate for Worship

Scripture Reading — Psalm 42:1-5

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
— Psalm 42:2

The Christian writer C. S. Lewis was a careful thinker. One day he was asked which of the world’s religions gave people the greatest happiness. He thought for a moment and answered, “While it lasts, the religion of worshiping oneself” would do that. He was pointing out that when we focus on our own needs and wants, it is indeed possible to find happiness in the short term—“while it lasts,” but not for long.

In the long term we discover that worship of self can never satisfy. Our appetite for more pleasure, more comfort, more possessions, and so on will lead us on an endlessly futile quest. Most troubling is that when we focus inward and only on ourselves, that cuts us off from the important voices around us, particularly God's voice.

Many of us live in cultural settings where the focus on self has become the norm. All around us, people search for happiness as they follow personal dreams and pursue personal desires apart from God’s invitation to find life in him alone—life that brings true flourishing. We live in a thirsty world.

In this challenging environment, we hear the Lord’s invitation in Psalm 42 to meet with him in worship. May our thirst lead us, like the psalmist, to the living God, who alone can meet our deepest needs.

Heavenly Father, many people around the world will seek you in worship today. Quench the thirst of your people, we pray, and move us to sing your praises and listen to your Word. Amen.

Written by: Kevin DeRaaf