We all need a higher power. That’s the wisdom of AA. That’s the wisdom of scripture. We all need something bigger than us, something to inspire us, someone to whom we are accountable, someone who cares for us no matter what and who is there for us no matter what. If we don’t have a higher power, then we lose our centre, our focus, our sense of worth. If we don’t consciously choose to worship God, we will unconsciously start worshipping other things.
Worship is to give a place of “worth” to something in our lives. If we are not giving God, the highest place of worth in our lives, not worshipping God, then we will find ourselves worshipping other things – money, perhaps, or the ability to make a good impression on others, or material goods, or status, or perfect looks.
But the problem with worshipping those things is that they give nothing back to us. They only demand more of us – harder work, more energy, more money. They only cause us to worry about whether we have enough or are doing enough.
God is different. When we worship God, we discover the One who gives back to us abundantly more than we can imagine. God loves us. God accepts us as we are. God sees the value and worth in each one of us. God is the higher power – bigger than our biggest worry, ready to inspire us, comfort us, surround us with compassion, and to challenge us when we need a nudge or boot in a new direction. When we worship God, our own sense of worth is restored. When we pause to seek God’s presence & purpose, we discover beauty and possibility. When we worship, it keeps us in our proper & good place in creation.