Worship and adore? This unknown author obviously felt something pretty noteworthy toward God, with the use of the second of those two operative words especially. Worship happens a lot in the bible, no surprise there, if you use the word-search function to see that this word occurs hundreds of times (496 occurrences in the New Living Translation [NLT], and a whopping 733 times in the Contemporary English Version, and somewhat less in other versions). In contrast, adore is almost totally absent, except for its usage twice in the NLT (twice in the CEV, but just once in others like the English Standard Version and the New International Version), including most consistently in the Song of Solomon, as a young lover addresses the object of her affection (Song of Solomon 1:4). But, one other time (in 1 Chronicles 29:11) has King David addressing God with this verb of intense affection, as he and the nation prepared to begin the kingdom’s transition to the reign of his son Solomon, and as they prepared to build the temple in Solomon’s reign (see the image here depicting the episode of temple dedication in which Solomon led the nation). So, could this be a verb with which we should be careful? We humans have a habit of saying something over-the-top, particularly when it comes to love songs. We are, after all, fallible beings when it comes to relationships, mercurial in our devotion at times with each other, and with Him who made us, too. Perhaps adoration means something that cannot and should not be broken, ever.
Since the composer we contact today with this love song ‘We Worship…Adore..’ is still a mystery, we cannot know precisely what moved this songwriter, though the fervor for God is evident. Was this person reading David’s prayer in 1 Chronicles, as he pondered in his heart how his own son, but not he himself, would guide and witness the building of the temple where God’s Spirit would reside? David seemed joyful and content that the preparations that he had made, and the building materials and the sacrifices that all the people had brought, would culminate in the house of the Lord that Solomon would oversee. The kingdom was as secure as David knew how to make it, and so he felt satisfied and grateful to the Lord. He was in His care, in the hands of the One who had made him and all that he and the nation could enjoy. Security and belonging, those were what David felt in God’s presence. He knew this God was not only bountiful, but also trustworthy. To be with Him forever, as they felt would happen with the construction of the temple, was the zenith of their faith in Him. What more could be said with a heart so full of emotion, experience, and anticipation of Him and all that He had been and would be forevermore in this place He had given them? Perhaps you might call it a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience, this building of God’s house among them. Indeed, perhaps this was rarefied atmosphere, this adoration that David expressed to God on this unique occasion. We on earth might grow attached to many things and feel that life is good and that contentment has really been accomplished – in America, it’s embodied in our July 4th document, proclaiming ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’ as the highest objectives of a people, and given by the Creator – but can you and I truly say that without God in our midst? Is He part of my adoration equation?
‘We Worship and Adore You’ might initially seem like a fairly safe and routine kind of statement to make to God. Of course I acknowledge Him, thank Him, and offer Him my best effort daily. But, at the end of my life, or at least the greater portion of it, am I able to look back and understand all that He’s meant to me, comprehend what He’s doing right now, and picture in my mind what’s to come when I’m in His presence, face-to-face? If I could do that, I might be where David was in that moment when the temple preparations were about to come true in the fruition of that holy place. David would never know what it felt like to walk upon its steps nor even witness its completion, but He knew without a doubt the God who would live there. That’s an adoration space, when you don’t need to see the physicality of something to trust that He’s got it. Some translations put 1 Chronicles 29:11 in terms of exalting Him for His greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty. Perhaps saying that I adore Him is somewhat like a fusion of all the reasons that I can trust Him, even as David was expressing his utter trust in Him at that moment. Adoring Him is not a single-threaded enterprise, but instead means I have many and unending reasons to lift up His name. So, watch how you use that verb, OK?
See information on the image here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tissot_Solomon_Dedicates_the_Temple_at_Jerusalem.jpg …This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. {{PD-1996}} – public domain in its source country on January 1, 1996 and in the United States….found inside this document -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon%27s_Temple
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