Our Reverence In Worship

by Chris Simmons

The Psalmist when speaking of God said, "I will extol thee, my God, O King: and I will bless thy name forever and ever" (Psalms 145:1). David expressed a heart of reverence and respect toward God. David further said of God, "Holy and reverend is thy name" (Psalms 111:9). Reverence includes solemnity and correct forms; however, one could be solemn and correct in outward form and still not be reverent.

Reverence is defined as "a feeling or attitude of deep respect, love, awe and esteem, as for something sacred; veneration." Some of the synonyms for reverence are "honor, veneration, awe, adoration" (Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary).

The proper expression of a reverent attitude toward God reveals the character of our heart. The greater our character, the greater our reverence toward God will be. On the other hand, many have become so casual in attitude toward sacred things that they have adopted a relaxed view of who God is and how He is to be worshipped. God's attitude toward the irreverence of His children is clearly expressed in the prophet David, "Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one a thyself" (Psalms 50:21). Many have lost sight of the greatness and divine majesty of the Almighty God and consider their relationship to Him on equal footing as that which they have with their next door neighbor. Perhaps we have become so immersed in the world and so absorbed by that which is base that it makes real reverence almost impossible. Whatever the cause, we must understand God's attitude toward this lack of respect and honor that is due Him. We must look for any evidence in our own lives of such dishonor and seek to change our attitude toward God.

God demands reverence. "And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground" (Exodus 3:3-5). Not only does God demand reverence of the individual, but He also demands reverence of the whole assembly. David wrote, "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him" (Psalms 89:7). Showing the greatest reverence possible toward God should be the purpose of all aspects of our life. "Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well pleasing to God with reverence and awe" (Hebrews 12:28).

Our worship of God demands reverence. David wrote in Psalms 2:11-12, "Worship the LORD with reverence, and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way." Again in Psalms 5:7, "But as for me, by Thine abundant lovingkindness I will enter Thy house, at Thy holy temple I will bow in reverence for Thee." Jesus, when instructing the disciples how they ought to pray, taught them to address God reverently, "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name" (Matthew 6:9). Reverence in our worship is the basis for worship being offered "decently and in order" (I Corinthians 14:40). We are to be admonished that any approach in worship to God must be in reverence and awe. We can not afford to lose sight of the solemnity of the occasion of gathering with the saints to worship our Creator and our Redeemer. There are many ways that we can demonstrate irreverence in our worship to God.

One way that we can show irreverence is in how are attired when we come to worship God. Many Christians unfortunately come to worship as if they dressed to work in the yard. Our clothes do send a message to God and others. Some quote I Samuel 16:7, "(Jehovah seeth) not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looketh on the heart" to suggest that our clothes do not send a message or reflect a disposition of heart. However, what we do, even what we wear, vividly reveals what is in our heart (Matthew 15:18-20; Proverbs 23:7). What are we saying about this glorious occasion of worship and our attitude toward our Creator when we would put on our "good clothes" to go visit the President of our country but wear our worn and tattered clothes to a communion with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (cf Malachi 1:8)? Rarely do we see people dressed in casual attire when they are going to a wedding or funeral. People realize that such occasions demand attire appropriate to the seriousness and gravity of the occasion. Should it be any less for our Lord when we assemble to humbly worship Him? And though it would seem that it shouldn’t have to be mentioned, experience says it must – God’s requirement that we dress modestly applies in the worship assembly as well (I Timothy 2:9). No one is suggesting a strict dress code. However, our attire should reflect the dignity of the purpose for which we have come together.

Reverence is also defined by our preparation for the purpose of assembling for worship. We are not being respectful to God when we fail to prepare to get ready for worship so that we can show up on time for worship and Bible study. Reverence is showing up on time so that we might prepare for the responsibilities we have in the assembly, whether it be teaching a class, leading singing, making announcements, encouraging our brethren, or greeting and welcoming any visitors we might have. To fail to prepare and show up late is simply disrespectful and God deserves better than that. This is part of being "ready for" and "careful" for good deeds (Titus 3:1, 8). It should go without saying that we can’t be reverent to God when we willfully forsake the assemblies for worship altogether (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Reverence is also defined by our ability to conduct our assemblies "properly and in an orderly manner" (I Corinthians 14:40). Further evidence of disrespect and lack of reverence exists when we applaud and cheer in worship to God, and otherwise turn a worship service into any other human entertainment venue. The silence of the scriptures does not authorize such practices through the general command to worship nor can we turn to the Old Testament (I Samuel 4:5; II Samuel 6:15-16; Ezra 3:11-12) as our authority for such practices. Old Testament passages such as these have nothing to do with what we do in our worship assemblies in the church today because if we are to bring in one practice of worship in the Old Testament, we must bring in all of them (Galatians 3:10). There is to be a significant difference in our reaction to a touchdown in a football game and our response to someone obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is simply no authority for irreverent outbursts of emotion revealed in the New Testament. In an effort to make worship fun or exciting or emotionally stimulating, let us not resort to practices that would profane our worship and render it vain and irreverent. Let us remember that "God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).

Has worship become so casual that there is no difference in our behavior, dress, and degree of solemnity at worship or at a ball game? Let us not "profane" our worship by taking that which is holy and treating it as common. May our dress and practice in worship reflect the attitude and character of one who truly fears God and holds His holy name in reverence and awe. Let us bring the best we have in attitude, dignity, respect and character as we worship God.