Does God Wish You Wouldn't Bother Him?

Could you imagine arriving at church to worship, only for God to tell you He wishes you would just go home and lock the doors?

What if He told you that your worship was insulting, and that you were wasting both His time and yours?

To some, this might make God sound cold and ungrateful. After all, you took the time to show up. What could drive a loving and merciful God to reject His people’s worship? The answer is found in Malachi 1:6-14.

In this passage, God brings serious charges against His people. He explains why He detests their assemblies and sacrifices.

Their worship had become so empty and corrupt that He literally wished someone would lock the temple doors to stop it. Consider the charges God brought against them:

1. They Did Not Offer Their Best

The Old Testament law required that animal sacrifices be of the absolute best quality. The Creator deserves the best of His creation.

Instead, the people brought animals that were blind, lame, and sick—animals that were useless to them or about to die. Some even brought stolen animals. Offering God their worthless leftovers was a direct insult.

God challenged them to try offering those same sick animals as a gift to their governor. If an earthly leader would be insulted by such a gift, how much more the Almighty God? The people assumed God would accept whatever they threw His way, but they were wrong.

2. They Considered Worship a Burden

God, who knows the secrets of the heart, exposed their true thoughts:

“What a burden!” — Malachi 1:13

They complained that serving God was tiresome. This attitude was highly disrespectful to the Creator, who is a great King.

We cannot imagine the angels in heaven finding the adoration of God boring or exhausting. It is deeply sad when we view worship as an inconvenience or a chore.

Because of these attitudes, God wished someone would simply lock the temple doors. He wanted to prevent these abominations (disgusting acts) from continuing. Spiritual emptiness and half-hearted gestures do not please God; they dishonor His holy name.

What About Your Worship?

The New Testament calls us to a different kind of sacrifice:

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. — Hebrews 13:15

Today, we must examine our own hearts:

• Our Praise: When you sing, are you offering God your best praise? Or do you mumble the words without thinking—or remain silent?
• Our Focus: Do you give prayers and Bible study your full attention? Or do you spend the time texting, whispering to friends, or sleeping?
• Our Lives: Christians are called to be “living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1). If you practice sin during the week, you present yourself to God as spiritually lame and blind. We cannot live an immoral lifestyle and expect God to accept us just because we attend church and give money.
• Our Time: Do you give God your best, or do you only pray, study, and serve when it is convenient? Will you easily skip worship to chase your own entertainment?
• Our Preparation: Do you study your Bible class lessons beforehand, or do you show up unprepared and uninterested?
• Our Giving: Do you give cheerfully and generously to the Lord’s work? Or do you offer only the leftover change after spending on your own desires?

If everyone worshiped exactly like you do, would God wish the church doors were closed?

If you find worship boring or uninspiring, look closely at what you are bringing to God. The issue is rarely the preacher, the songs, or the size of the crowd. Those who do not give their best in worship will not leave spiritually refreshed.

Let your attitude match that of King David:

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!” — Psalm 122:1

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? — Psalm 42:1-2