God Delights in Praise and Worship, Says Rev. Mrs. Olusola Idowu

By Dr. Afolabi Olajuwon

Christians have been urged to reject every form of idolatry, place God above material possessions and confront life’s challenges with sustained praise, worship and thanksgiving.

Rev. (Mrs.) Olusola Idowu gave the charge on Sunday August 30, 2026 during a sermon titled, “God Takes Delight in Praise and Worship,” at the Foursquare Gospel Church, Wuse District Headquarters, Abuja. Drawing her principal text from 1 Kings 18:17–40, she examined Prophet Elijah’s confrontation with King Ahab and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel as evidence that the living God cannot be compared with idols or replaced by any human source of confidence.

           Rev. Mrs. Olusola Idowu 

She explained that Israel’s crisis under Ahab and Jezebel was deeper than the three-and-a-half-year drought experienced by the nation. The leadership had abandoned God’s commandments, promoted Baal worship and encouraged divided loyalty among the people. When Ahab accused Elijah of being the “troubler of Israel,” the prophet responded that Ahab and his household had brought trouble upon the nation by forsaking God. According to her, those who expose wrongdoing are sometimes wrongly labelled as troublemakers, while the conduct responsible for the crisis is ignored.

Elijah consequently challenged the people: “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” Rev. Idowu said genuine worship requires a clear decision because faith cannot flourish in a heart divided between God and competing loyalties.

To establish who the true God was, Elijah proposed that sacrifices should be prepared without fire. The prophets of Baal called upon their god from morning until noon, dancing around the altar, shouting and cutting themselves until blood flowed. Yet, there was no voice or response. Rev. Idowu contrasted their desperation with Elijah’s quiet confidence, stressing that noise cannot give life to an idol and that false objects of trust eventually disappoint their worshippers.

She warned that idolatry is not limited to carved images. Money, political influence, social position, career, family background, relationships and personal ambition can become idols when they occupy the place reserved for God. “Do not substitute God with another god,” she cautioned, adding that anything a person trusts or loves more than God requires serious spiritual examination.

After the prophets of Baal failed, Elijah called the people together and repaired the broken altar of the Lord with twelve stones representing the tribes of Israel. Rev. Idowu described the broken altar as a symbol of Israel’s damaged relationship with God. Before the people could experience restoration, they had to return to the place of covenant, unity and obedience. In the same way, believers must repair neglected personal and family altars through repentance, prayer, Scripture, worship, forgiveness and righteous living.

Elijah then ordered four jars of water to be poured over the sacrifice and wood three times until the trench surrounding the altar was filled. According to the her, the water removed every possibility of human manipulation and demonstrated that the expected fire could come only from God. The lesson, she said, is that situations that appear naturally impossible are not beyond divine intervention. Medical reports, delayed expectations, financial pressures and family difficulties may resemble water-soaked wood, but God’s power is not limited by human calculations.

When Elijah prayed, his concern was not personal recognition but the revelation of God’s glory and the restoration of the people. He asked the Lord to answer so that Israel would know that He alone was God and that He was turning their hearts back to Himself. The fire of the Lord fell, consuming the sacrifice, wood, stones, dust and water. The people fell before God and cried, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”

Rev. Idowu explained that true worship should focus on God’s supremacy rather than the worshipper’s personal benefit. Christians must worship God not only for what they expect Him to do, but because of who He is. Praise should therefore continue in abundance and scarcity, during celebrations and trials, and in seasons of immediate answers or prolonged waiting.

She further noted that the restoration of worship on Mount Carmel preceded the return of rain. After Elijah prayed, a small cloud appeared over the sea and eventually developed into a heavy downpour. Believers should not despise small beginnings, she said, because a seemingly insignificant sign may announce an approaching breakthrough. However, praise must not be treated as a mechanical formula for obtaining material blessings; it is first an expression of reverence, faith and surrender to God.

Quoting Psalm 34:1, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth”, Rev. Idowu reminded the congregation that “at all times” includes periods of pain and adversity. David’s praise did not deny his difficulties; it declared that God remained greater than them. She shared personal testimonies of prolonged prayer and eventual divine intervention, encouraging those who had waited for answers not to allow delay to silence their worship.

Rev. Idowu also emphasised thanksgiving as a spiritual discipline. Believers should remember God’s past protection, provision and deliverance rather than allowing present needs to erase the memory of previous mercies. Gratitude, she observed, does not deny pain but prevents pain from becoming the believer’s only focus. The congregation subsequently sang, “I will bless You, O Lord, with a heart of thanksgiving,” in response to the message.

Referring to Psalm 16:4, she warned that those who pursue other gods multiply their sorrows. Christians must not combine faith in God with occult practices, traditional deities or dependence on human connections as their ultimate security. Unlike idols created by human hands, the living God sees, hears, saves and answers His people.

The sermon concluded with a call to salvation, rededication and wholehearted worship. Church attendance alone, Rev. Idowu said, cannot replace a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. She led the congregation in renouncing every competing loyalty and praying: “Lord, whatever I am going through, show up for me.”

Her final charge was that thanksgiving and worship should be the believer’s first response, not a last resort after every human option has failed. Praise may not always remove a difficulty immediately, but it lifts the heart above fear, recalls God’s faithfulness and declares that no idol, challenge or adverse report is greater than the Lord.

Dr. Afolabi Olajuwon is a freelance writer and Christian educator based in Abuja, Nigeria, with a passion for documenting faith-based initiatives and their impact on communities.