Made to Worship

Yesterday we looked at Exodus 32 where the Israelites make a golden calf to worship as an idol. I cannot wrap my mind around this very well. I just think it sounds so strange. God has delivered them from slavery. They have seen him lead them in a real way as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He has provided food and water for them. Then they decide to worship a golden calf. Just does not seem to make sense to me.
However, as I studied this Scripture I was reminded about how God created us. When God designed the human soul, he made us in a way that needs to worship. Within us is this desire to worship something. And maybe worship is not the way you would define it, but we were created with a desire to have something important or significant in our lives. A common illustration is that there is a hole within our souls that needs to be filled by something. Of course, it was designed to be filled by God, but we often try to fill it with other things; money, power, sex, addictions, etc... which would be considered idols.
The Israelites were trying to fill that hole with something they had experience in Egypt. The Egyptians worshiped a bull god, which would have been similar to the golden calf the Israelites created. They were trying to feel fulfilled and made whole.
What this means to us is that we need to be aware of what we worship. We need to watch the things we try to use to feel satisfied and fulfilled. We will only truly be fulfilled when it is God who completes us. Only when God is the top priority in our life will all the other pieces fit. This is how we were made. We can fight it as long as we want, but only when we finally accept God's love are we made whole. I believe this because I have seen this in many people's lives, and I have lived it myself. You and I were made to worship God.