What are you really worshiping?

Everyone worships something. This may sound like a bold claim, but when we truly examine our lives, we discover it's profoundly true. Even those who claim no belief in God direct their devotion somewhere—perhaps to science, philosophy, success, or even to themselves as the ultimate authority in their lives.

Worship isn't merely singing songs on Sunday morning or bowing before a deity. At its core, worship is about what we love with our whole heart, what we allow to have authority over our decisions, and what we devote our lives to pursuing. When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, He answered that we should love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. This total devotion—this complete surrender to God's authority in every area of life—is the essence of true worship.

The Problem of Divided Devotion
Isaiah 46 presents a fascinating contrast that speaks directly to this issue. The chapter opens with a vivid image: "Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low. Their idols are born by beasts of burden." These were the chief gods of Babylon, and the prophet describes what would happen when Persia conquered Babylon—these mighty gods would be lowered to the ground, loaded onto ox carts, and carried away as trophies of war.

The irony is striking. These gods that were supposed to protect their people couldn't even protect themselves. They had to be carried by weary animals, unable to move, unable to speak, unable to save anyone from trouble. The New Living Translation captures it perfectly: "The gods cannot protect the people, and the people cannot protect the gods."

This wasn't just ancient history or a message for pagans. God was speaking to His own people—the Israelite's who had grown up knowing the one true God but had fallen into the trap of worshiping false gods alongside Him. They hadn't abandoned God entirely; they had simply relegated Him to being one god among many, their "local deity" while they sought other gods for different needs.

The God Who Carries Us
The contrast God draws is powerful. While the false gods of Babylon were being carried away in defeat, God reminds His people: "I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." From the very beginning of Israel's existence—from Abraham's calling forward—God had been carrying them, sustaining them, protecting them.

This is the fundamental difference between the true God and everything else we might be tempted to worship. False gods—whether literal idols or modern substitutes—require us to carry them. We must maintain them, prop them up, and exhaust ourselves in their service. But the true God carries us.

God makes His case plainly: "With whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?" He walks through the absurdity of idol worship—taking gold and silver to a craftsman, having an image made, carrying it home on your shoulder, setting it in place where it cannot move, crying out to it though it cannot answer. The logic is inescapable: why would anyone who knows the living God turn to lifeless substitutes?

The Question of Trust
At the heart of worship lies trust. When the ancient peoples worshiped their gods, they were putting their trust in those gods to provide, protect, and guide them. When that trust proves misplaced, worship becomes empty ritual at best and destructive bondage at worst.

As believers, we would all quickly affirm that we trust God. But trust isn't static—it either grows or diminishes. And if we're honest, we might recognize areas of our lives where our trust in God is incomplete. Perhaps we trust Him with our eternal destiny but struggle to trust Him with our finances. Maybe we trust Him in theory but find ourselves anxious and controlling when circumstances become uncertain.

Trust grows through experience. When we see God's promises fulfilled in Scripture and in our own lives, our confidence in Him deepens. When we apply biblical principles and watch God prove faithful, our trust expands. But trust also requires testing. Like faith, trust only grows when we're placed in situations where we must exercise it—where we have no choice but to depend on God completely.

The Israelite's' problem wasn't that they stopped believing God existed. Their problem was that they stopped trusting Him to be enough. When they wanted fertility, they turned to Asherah. When they wanted prosperity, they adopted the practices of surrounding nations. They hedged their bets, seeking from false gods what they already had available in the true God.

Is God Your All in All?
This brings us to an uncomfortable question: Do we do the same thing? Not with carved images, certainly, but in more subtle ways. When we pray for something and don't receive the answer we want, do we seek fulfillment elsewhere? When God's provision seems delayed, do we compromise our principles to meet our needs? When His ways seem unclear, do we rely entirely on our own wisdom?

Consider Job, who lost everything—his wealth, his children, his health—yet never stopped worshiping God. God remained his all in all, even in devastating loss. Job questioned God, yes, but he never turned away to seek answers or comfort from false sources. Where else could he go? God alone had the words of life.

This is the challenge before us: to live in such complete trust and devotion that we can say with confidence, "If I have God, what else do I need?" Not in a way that despises God's good gifts, but in a way that recognizes that even if we lost everything earthly, we would still have everything that ultimately matters.

The God Who Makes Things Right
Isaiah 46 closes with tremendous encouragement. God declares, "I am bringing my righteousness near. It is not far away, and my salvation will not be delayed." The New Living Translation puts it beautifully: "For I am ready to set things right, not in the distant future, but right now."

God doesn't just promise eventual rescue; He acts in real time. He doesn't just predict the future; He brings it to pass. Unlike the impotent gods of Babylon being carried off in defeat, the true God carries His people to victory.

The question remains for each of us: What are we truly worshiping? Where is our ultimate trust placed? Is God truly our all in all, or have we, like ancient Israel, allowed other things to compete for the devotion that belongs to Him alone?

The invitation stands: Trust Him completely. Let Him be everything. Discover that when you have God, you truly have need of nothing else.