[El Ben]

I'm of the opinion that most people aren't who they think they are. They're not who other people think they are, either. I think most people are who they THINK other people THINK they are. They sort of project their self-image on others and use it as a barometer to conduct themselves.

In that same vein, I think most people don't respond to God out of how he thinks of them, they respond to God out of how THEY think he thinks of them.

That's a complicated way of saying that most people don't really understand the emotions of God toward them, and consequently find it difficult to relate to him on an emotional level.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that an emotional connect to God is the be-all and end-all of worship, but to ignore it or exclude it, prevents an encounter with God on that level.

Basically, if you never engage with God on an emotional level, then you shouldn't expect an encounter with God on an emotional level.

That's what we're talking about, really. People don't lift their hands, sing out, weep, kneel, or react passionately unless there's an emotional stimulus involved. Am I saying that worship is an emotional act?

Not completely.

But to say that it is completely not is both ignorant and unwise.

In short, engage with God on an emotional level and He'll engage with you.

In other words: Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.