The concept of a worshipful life is one of the most wonderful concepts I have ever come to learn. The vitality of praise, living out of the wellspring of life — that is where peace is found.
My name is Lila Banach. God gave me peace and joy when I didn’t deserve it.
Imagine, you are standing in the center of a wide open space inside of a museum of art, one surpassing the Louvre and the Smithsonian — a place of unmatched fame and prominence. You’re the only one in this room. The room itself is an architectural masterpiece with warm light reflecting off of the gold-toned murals lining the walls. You’ve come to stand witness to a masterpiece that you’ve heard about since you got into the city.
Before you took your first steps into the building, you were shrouded by the masses lingering in the space outside. You could hear the murmuring of voices, some were skeptical of the artist behind this new exhibit, hesitant to believe that what was inside was truly as beautiful as they say. Others, however — others who had made the decision to step inside — could not bear to remain silent. They were so captivated about the unmatched wonder that they tried to describe its beauty to anyone who would listen. You couldn’t quite catch everything they were saying, but you could sense the electricity in their voices — the wonder in their words. You saw these people spouting praise and accolades to this exhibit — this work of art — and realized that you wanted to see it for yourself.
You’re standing in the center of this great expanse of a room, silent and solitary. The painting hanging before you is covered in a tan tapestry that would be removed when someone chooses to step up and see the art. The tapestry seems to be covering a colossal piece of artwork, at least a dozen feet tall and a dozen feet wide. Quietly, you take a few steps up, reaching out for the cord that would remove the tapestry, and you wrap your fingers around the thick gold satin. The tassel at the end of the cord is at least the size of your fist. You pull hard on the cord and jump a few steps backwards, letting the tapestry fall to the ground.
What hangs before you, looming up over your head, is the most beautiful, awe-inspiring piece of artwork that you could ever imagine. You suddenly become captivated by the beauty and mastery of it all. You are engrossed in admiration, simply by virtue of beauty.
Now, still lingering on this imagery, imagine a beauty that makes this beauty look like filthy rags. Imagine standing in the presence of something that surpasses all of your earthly capacity for wonder and awe. Imagine, now, that the Artist is suddenly standing at your side, looking, not at His own artwork, but at your face, at the way you marvel joyously at what He has done.
He places a hand on your shoulder and says, “I would like to paint you into my artwork." He offers to include you in the beauty of what he has created. You ask, “What have I done to make you want to do that?” The Artist smiles. “It is not what you have done, but who I Am.” And because of the unbelievable love and compassion of the Artist, He involves you in something so magnificent, something otherwise unattainable, simply because He wants to preserve your being and let you share in the glory of His masterpiece. From that moment forward, the glory of the Artist is the glory of those loved by the Artist, and those who love the Artist.
That is why we worship. That is why we exalt the Creator. We begin by seeing the beauty of who He is and the weight of what He has done for us becomes infinitely magnified. Many intelligent, faithful spiritual leaders have spoken on the idea of worship and the beauty of God. One of the most notable of these is Dr. John Piper, who describes the character of God in relation to His worshipful beloved, saying this —
“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.”
Oh, what a marvelous God we have with which we can attain the joy and wonder of a worshipful life while also offering Him glory. In Francis Chan’s book "Crazy Love," Chan describes in great detail how our heart of worship depends completely on our view of the Creator. Until we can see how beautiful God is, how can we possibly sustain a life of worship towards Him?
Luckily for us, our God is the most beautiful. We need only to step into His presence and allow Him to show us.
