Why Do We Worship God If He Doesn’t Need Our Worship?

God, who is all-powerful and lacks nothing, does not need our worship. The Bible makes this clear, stating that He is “not served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all humankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25). Yet, despite His complete self-sufficiency, the Bible also makes it clear that we, as humans, need to worship. While God may enjoy our worship, it is also a gift that He gives to maintain our spiritual health and perspective. We should worship Him for five main reasons: because it is the natural response of our love for Him, because it reminds us of His perfect character, because it helps us remember He is bigger than all our troubles, because it is necessary to humble ourselves, and because our worship brings Him joy.

Before we dive into why we need to worship, let’s spend a moment defining the word. Worship is spending time recognizing and celebrating who God is—His holiness, His character, His perfection, and His power. It can be done through prayer, meditation, singing, dancing, or some other creative work, certain body postures, or sacrificing time, possessions, or money. It often also involves praise, which is thanking Him for things He has done.

Worship God because it is a natural response to His love for us

Something you should do often is sit/meditate on how much God loves you. It is not a love you can comprehend (Ephesians 3:19) or that you can ever lose (Romans 8:35-39). He loved you so much that Jesus came to live as a man to die for you (John 3:16, John 15:13, Romans 5:8). He gave you a chance for redemption so that you can spend forever in an intimate and loving relationship with Him. He is passionate about you, so the natural response is to return that passion.

The love we share with God is far greater than romantic love, but when you passionately love someone and you know they return that love, you want to shout it from the rooftop. You may be inspired to create a work of art like poetry, music, painting, sculpture, etc. You want to spend time with them, and you may want to make or buy them things.

When we contemplate God’s vast love for us, we should feel an almost overwhelming urge to express that love back to Him in worship!

Worship God to reflect on His character and attributes

In our busy, distraction-filled lives, it is easy to lose focus on just how amazing, holy, and wise our God is. If we dedicate time to slow down and focus on His character and goodness we pull our minds away from worldly distractions and recenter them on Him. Psalm 29:2 encourages us: “Ascribe (attribute) to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness!” Worship acts like a telescope that concentrates our sight on Him, clarifying who He is and putting us in a state of awe.

Worship God in times of trouble

We are going to face trouble. When we do our natural inclination is to take matters into our own hands or try to avoid the problem (fight or flight). In addition, our enemy will try to make our problems look huge while making us feel as though God doesn’t care, is too busy, or is too small to help us. It is at this time when worship may seem like the last thing we want to do, but it is the time we need it the most. When we actively worship, we choose to remember His strength and power over everything else. This act puts our troubles in their proper, much smaller place. Worship lifts our eyes above the chaos, reminding us that no matter what we are facing, we have a powerful ally.

A great example is when Paul and Silas were beaten and locked in a dark prison; at midnight, they chose to sing and worship God (Acts 16:25). Their worship proved that God’s presence is stronger than any chain or difficult situation. As the psalmist wrote: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Worship is the practice of shifting our focus from our problems to His endless strength.

Worship God to humble yourself

I do not know if you have ever played the whack-a-mole game. You stand in front of a machine with 8+ holes and as a mole pops up, you whack it with a mallet, forcing it back down. As soon as you do, another one pops up in another location.

Whack-a-mole is one of my favorite analogies when I talk about pride. Our pride is always trying to pop up somewhere. If we see it and address it by asking for help and practicing humility, it seems to pop up in another area of our lives.

While we worship, our perspective of God increases while we decrease, which is as it should be (John 3:30). Pride interferes with our relationship and reliance on God. We should not want to be independent of His guidance, wisdom, will, and strength. As the Bible warns: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

When we are humble we are ready to receive more of Him and He is the greatest giver and the greatest gift. (James 1:17, Psalm 73:25)

Worship God because He enjoys it

The Bible shows us He enjoys and delights in our worship. Since the ultimate purpose of life is to be in an intimate and loving relationship with God, it makes perfect sense that He enjoys hearing us express our love and devotion. Scripture sometimes refers to this expression as a pleasing aroma, showing how pleasing it is to Him. This joy proves that worship is truly a two-way street: it heals us, and it pleases Him. The book of Revelation gives us a profound image of this, describing how the prayers and worship of the saints are collected in heaven: “each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” (Revelation 5:8). Our devotion is literally collected as a treasured gift.

In conclusion, while God’s glory remains unchanged whether or not we praise Him, our lives absolutely change when we do. It is the necessary way we express our deep love, the tool we use to keep His character clearly in mind, the shield we use against our own pride, the means by which we remember His powerful presence in our daily struggles, and the way we participate in His divine joy. By worshiping, we reset our focus and stand in a position of faith, fulfilling our need to connect with the God who first reached out to us in love.

Don’t wait for a Sunday service to spend time in worship. Worship as often as you can and develop a heart of worship. Let His love fill you and spill over into acts of love you can return to Him!

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Scripture used or considered in the writing of “Why Do We Worship God If He Doesn’t Need Our Worship?” by RD Montgomery All Scripture is in the ESV format unless otherwise specified.

Exodus 29:18

Exodus 34:6–7

Leviticus 1:9-17

Leviticus 6:21

Deuteronomy 32:4

Job 1:20-21

Psalm 5:7

Psalm 8:1

Psalm 9:2

Psalm 18:30

Psalm 23

Psalm 28:7

Psalm 29:2

Psalm 42:11

Psalm 46:1

Psalm 63:3-4

Psalm 68:4-5

Psalm 73:25

Psalm 86:5

Psalm 90:2

Psalm 95:6

Psalm 96:3,9

Psalm 103

Psalm 115:1

Psalm 136

Psalm 139:7-10

Psalm 145:3

Psalm 150:6

Isaiah 6:3

Isaiah 25:1

Isaiah 40:28

Jeremiah 32:17

Malachi 3:6

Matthew 6:9

Luke 4:8

John 3:16,30

John 4:24

John 15:13

Acts 16:25

Acts 17:25

Romans 5:8

Romans 8:31,35-39

Romans 11:36

Romans 12:1

2 Corinthians 4:6

Ephesians 2:4

Ephesians 3:17-19

Colossians 3:16

James 1:17

James 4:6,10

1 Timothy 6:15–16

1 John 1:5

Revelation 4:11

Revelation 5:8

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