I believe in God’s complete control of all things, actions, and thoughts, but I have difficulty responding to this question.

Since God determines all that happens, then he determines my worship of him and all the thoughts that occur in my worship. How can he enjoy this worship if all the thoughts of this worship come from himself?

As an analogy, what if a girl can put thoughts in her doll and cause it to praise the girl’s beauty? But the compliment comes from the girl’s mind.

Whenever someone asks a question against a biblical doctrine, it represents an attack against God and his glory. Therefore, you must both answer the question and attack the person. There must be something wrong with the person for him to ask such a question. By extension, you should also examine yourself for failing to answer it. If you truly grasp God’s nature and glory as revealed in the Bible, instead of letting an analogy that represents him as a human person throw off your entire theology, then you would not have any difficulty answering this.

Although the Scripture uses human analogies to illustrate some things about God, the points asserted are always clear, and they are often asserted directly along with the analogies. Moreover, the Bible represents man as the image of God, and not God as the image of sinful man! Even when something is said about man, and then God is said to be like it, it is said that God is better or greater, and not inferior.

First, we assert the positive doctrine and see that there is no problem with it. So he causes his people to worship him, and he approves of this worship. The issue is not whether we think he ought to be able to enjoy it, but whether this is what happens, that he truly causes the worship, and whether he declares that this is the way he likes it. If so, then the matter is settled. It is finished. The person who makes an objection against this is in fact saying that he (the man) is unhappy that God can be happy with this arrangement. He is insisting that God should not be happy with this, even though God himself does not complain. Instead of threatening the doctrine, this objection is blasphemy. This man thinks that he himself can be a better God, or that he knows better in how to be a God who is happy and satisfied. Our doctrine is not in trouble, but this man’s very soul is in trouble. This answer is sufficient for both the Christian and the non-Christian, because the objection logically makes no sense.

Second, this person’s reasoning can apply to many other attributes of God. Even if God cannot cause anything at all in this universe, if we continue to affirm his omniscience, this means that he knows everything about past, present, and future worship – every motive, every thought, every prayer, every intonation of every word in every hymn, every gesture of the hands and face, and so on. If we think that he has a mentality very much like that of a human person (as the analogy of the girl implies), then how can he “enjoy” worship? So the God that this person has in mind must be striped of his knowledge also. How about his power? How can God “enjoy” worship when his infinite power means that no one can go against him? How about his promises and blessings? As Satan said to God, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” We can continue this analysis until we are left with a God that this man is satisfied with, who in his opinion can have a meaningful existence. And this God will be nothing more than a superman, if even that. This answer is especially applicable to the Christian, since it shows that he in fact does not believe in God. His “God” is something very different that he invented, and this “God” (a mere superman) is the deity that he worships. But it is also applicable to the non-Christian, because the God that he objects to is not the God of the Bible, and the Bible is not obligated to present him with a God that he likes.

Third, many other details in the objection remain unclear. What does it mean to “enjoy” worship? What does this person think worship is? Does he really think it is like a girl who receives flattery? Is that the kind of God that he has in mind, and the reason he thinks God commands worship? Does he offer arguments to support this? Is this person a Christian? And if he is a non-Christian, does he understand anything about the Christian faith to make this silly assumption? Also, do you think this is what worship means? Why do you allow this assumption, that God is like a little girl, and that worship is like flattery?

Fourth, the human analogy itself backfires against this person. A little boy who takes up two toy soldiers and makes them fight each other is in constant control of both items, but he still finds the whole scenario exciting. A little girl who sits down with her toys to have tea with them and to chitchat with them still finds hours of amusement. I do not say that worship is like this, but this shows that even if worship is like this, it would not necessarily be a problem, and it does not necessarily mean that God would not “enjoy” it. This man is so stupid that he does not even understand the human situation, and he dares to scrutinize God’s nature against God’s own revelation.

What an inferior thinker! What a despicable and worthless person! Attack him. Belittle him. Scold him with harsh words and with a loud voice. But first, examine yourself. It is very serious that you cannot answer such an easy challenge. It is not just an intellectual problem, but also a spiritual and ethical problem. If you had held on to your God as he is revealed in the Bible, you would not have allowed blasphemous assumptions and analogies to trouble you.