Does God care how we worship Him?
Q.Whether in a synagogue, church or mosque, does God really care how people worship Him?
A. Our prayer does more for the one who prays than for God.
He is not improved by our praise. He is perfect already. Humans are susceptible to flattery but God isn’t.
When we call Him “great”, we don’t make Him any greater. When we call Him “awesome”, our words don’t enhance His awesomeness. The prophet Malachi says, “I the Lord do not change” (3:6).
Does it do anything for God if we choose to pray to Him in Hebrew or for that matter in any other language? God’s nature and essence remain the same whatever language we use, whatever house of worship we choose.
So why bother to pray?
Someone once said, “He who rises from prayer a better man, his prayer is answered”. This works in several ways:
1. By focusing our thoughts on goodness and mercy we make a subtle change in ourselves.
2. By using Jewish prayer-terminology, we identify with Jewish history and tradition.
3. By submitting to God’s authority we become humbler and less egotistical.
4. By allying ourselves with God we broaden the scope of Being.
5. By calling on God we are spreading His Kingdom.
Does it make a difference that Jews pray in a synagogue, Christians in a church and Muslims in a mosque?
It does, because our cultural and theological background affects our priorities, values and terminology.
