The Spirit of Worship

A. W. Tozer, whom Pastor Rick mentioned in Sunday’s sermon, is the most qualified writer on worship that I know.

Evangelist Leonard Ravenhill once visited Tozer and talked with him in his study. “Len,” Tozer pointed to a hooked rug on the floor, “in the morning when I come in, there is where I kneel to pray… and sometimes when I get up, the sun has gone down.”

I do not relate this to elevate Tozer, but to affirm that he was a man who was captivated by God and knew what worship was – and he had this to say about it: “I believe that the reverential fear of God mixed with love and fascination and astonishment and admiration and devotion is the most enjoyable state and the most purifying emotion the human soul can know.”

In his sermon series, Worship: The Missing Jewel of the Evangelical Church, Tozer described four factors present in worship:

Boundless confidence - confidence is necessary to respect, and respect is necessary to worship.
Admiration – appreciation of the excellency of God.
Fascination – to be captivated and charmed and entranced with who God is, and struck with astonished wonder at His magnitude and splendor.
Adoration – to love God with fear and wonder and yearning and awe.

And when these factors are present, Tozer believed, we are worshipping. Sometimes simply and quietly, sometimes with overwhelming emotions; sometimes from the mountaintop and sometimes from the valley. Sometimes the praise will come pouring forth, and sometimes it will be a statement of faith in spite of feelings that have temporarily run dry…

And it’s easier, I believe, to learn true worship than we realize. It’s not some lofty state that’s attainable by only a few. We just need to confess our own inability to worship God like that, and our desire and intention to do what it takes to get there. Do you think God would ignore a request like that?

No, He will not… but beware. He will most certainly dismantle all our lesser gods. He will take away our confidence in earthly things. He will make us dissatisfied with things that captivate most people’s attention, and casual about things they consider sacred. We will be different… and it will be worth it. Because God will increasingly reveal Who He is and what He’s up to and why we can trust Him, until we are captivated and charmed … “lost in wonder, love and praise.”