Is there merit in saying this? That we get too caught up in our feelings, especially regarding worship. Whether our worship is for God matters a good deal. But whether or worship comes from a feeling of God’s righteousness and goodness, that’s irrelevant. To paraphrase Eugene Peterson, our feelings come as a result of true worship to God, not the other way around. We get so tied in knots trying to summon some kind of emotional response before we praise God.

We shouldn’t feel guilty about wanting to praise God in the good times. When God provides for me, my emotions are more inclined to praise Him. But God isn’t only good in the times He provides for me; He’s good all the time. How must it feel for God to be good all of the time…and only be thanked for it some of the time?

This all makes me think of a scene from the Mary Tyler Moore Show. The quote comes Lou Grant, the gruff boss of Mary Tyler Moore’s character. It came out of the context of Lou’s longtime wife leaving him in a manner sadly indicative of the era, for no other reason than to seek her own personal identity. When Lou and she meet for the first time after the separation, Lou has some words to say.

“For thirty-five years, I said ‘I love you.’ I said it when I meant it, and I said it when I didn’t mean it.”

I think the fact that he said it at all betrays a deeper love than even he was aware.