“An Attitude of Awe” (Ready to Worship S10E1)

August 9, 2019

Ready to Worship Season 10, Episode 1 for Friday, August 9, 2019

This season on Ready to Worship, we are examining the spirit that we are to have in worship. I am confident that if we struggle in any area in our worship, it is in this area. The first attitude that I want to discuss is the attitude of awe. Awe is defined as “an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like.” The word is used three times in the Bible. Amazingly, all three occurrences are in the book of Psalms. Let’s read them: Psalms 4:4 – “Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.” Psalms 33:8 – “Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.” Psalms 119:161 – “Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.” All three times that the word “awe” is used in the Scriptures, it is connected with standing. Standing and awe seem to go together. Standing is what we do when we feel an overwhelming respect and admiration for something or someone. What do we do when a bride walks down the aisle? What do we do when a judge enters a courtroom? What do we do when the national anthem is sung? We stand! We don’t stand in worship of the bride, the judge, or the flag. We stand to show respect, honor, and admiration for what is being represented – love, purity, justice, freedom, etc. Am I arguing that we should stand in worship? In a way, I am. We certainly have Scriptural precedence for it. You may recall that the children of Israel stood as Ezra read the law to them. We read, “And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground” (Neh. 8:5-6). Why did they stand up? I think that they did so out of awe – overwhelming respect and admiration. Are you impressed? I am. Do you think that it might be good for us to do the same? I do. I especially think it would be good for us to stand for the reading of God’s word. However, I am not binding physically standing for worship. What I am trying to encourage is the attitude of awe behind the action. To use the words of David, I am advocating that our hearts stand in awe of God and His word. As we get ready to worship, let’s make sure that we assemble with an attitude of awe. Whether we stand physically or not, let’s make sure that our hearts are standing.