Fear the Lord In Awe and Worship!
	Blog >> From Pastor Mark

Fear the Lord In Awe and Worship!

I would venture to guess that one word is too often missing from our worship vocabulary.  That word is fear.  We, as God’s people, should be the first to assert that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7).  In this context, fear principally means awe, not terror.  The drive for “safe” worship services, too many times squeezes out awe.  I’ve seen worship services (and, sadly, been part of  some worship services) where it seemed the goal was to keep the awe manageable, the gaps minimal, and the silence absent. 

So much for the “still, small voice.”  So much for encountering the God who spoke out of the chaos and called creation into existence.  So much for bowing face-down before the God who spoke from the burning bush and from the whirlwind and from “a throne, high and lofty” (Isaiah 6:1).  Sometimes, when God moves, even in the midst of the most powerful praise song we can muster up, He wants us to just stand there in wide-eyed amazement...in jaw-dropped wonder of His mighty presence...the fear of the Lord.

Take Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  There they were, facing a fiery death from King Nebuchadnezzar.  He gave them a choice: to bow down and worship an idol and live, or, to remain faithful to Almighty God and die.  Which was the SAFE choice?  Which was the dangerous choice?  I think you know.  They remained faithful to God and His calling on their lives, and worshipped Him in the fiery furnace...AND HE WAS THERE WITH THEM!

I’m not writing in support of a particular worship style.  What I AM doing is encouraging you to take the un-safe route in worship.  Be willing to follow HIS lead...whether it be lifting your hands, falling on your face before Him, or just standing there...fearing the Lord... in jaw-dropped wonder of WHO HE IS.

Shalom!

Pastor Mark