Leading Worship

Have you ever imagined what you'd do if you had an invisibility suit? It's a tantalizing thought experiment that often reveals more about our hearts than we'd care to admit. The truth is, we already have something akin to an invisibility suit – it's every moment we think we're alone.

But here's the sobering reality: we're never truly alone. Everything we do, think, or say is "before the Lord" – in full view of the Creator and Judge of the universe. This phrase, "before the Lord," appears six times in a powerful passage from 2 Samuel 6, serving as a stark reminder of God's omnipresence and omniscience.

So how do we live a life of integrity, knowing we're always before the face of the Lord? The answer lies in cultivating two crucial heart attitudes: reverence and rejoicing.

The story of King David bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem illustrates the vital importance of reverence. In his eagerness to unite the nation spiritually, David made a critical error. Instead of transporting the Ark according to God's specific instructions, they placed it on a new cart – a modern innovation that seemed practical but violated God's commands.

The consequences were severe. When Uzzah reached out to steady the Ark as it wobbled, he was struck dead. This shocking incident reminds us that we can't approach God casually or on our own terms. He is holy, holy, holy – perfect in goodness, wisdom, love, and justice. Nothing unclean can exist in His presence.

This is a hard teaching for our culture, which often treats God casually. We play fast and loose with His commands, thinking we can do things our way without consequence. But one day, we'll all come face to face with His holiness. Are we prepared for that moment?

The law and sacrificial system in the Old Testament existed to show us how to approach God – through humility, repentance, and substitutionary atonement. David initially forgot this, focusing on celebration without proper reverence. We must remember that we can only come to God as He has outlined in His Word.

The story doesn't end with fear and judgment, though. After a period of reflection, David tries again to bring the Ark to Jerusalem – this time with a radically different attitude. Now, we see reverence and rejoicing beautifully combined.

The Ark is carried properly, and sacrifices are made after the first six steps. But what follows is an explosion of joyful, uninhibited worship. David, the king, strips off his royal robes and dances before the Lord with all his might. He leads the entire nation in celebration, shouting and praising God.

This public display of worship horrifies David's wife, Michal. She sees it as undignified and vulgar. But David's response is powerful: "I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes." He understood that true worship often looks foolish to the world, but it's precious in God's sight.

These two elements – reverence and rejoicing – create a tension that many of us struggle to balance. Some err on the side of being too conservative, held back by man-made traditions and embarrassed to express uninhibited praise. Their religion becomes stiff, formal, and inaccessible to the common person.

Others swing to the progressive extreme, embracing an "anything goes" mentality in worship and redefining God's love according to human standards. They fail to remember the holiness of God and the need to approach Him on His terms.

The truth is, we all fall short in some way. Conservatives may fail to rejoice fully, while progressives may lack proper reverence. But the unifying factor is that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

The beautiful news is that this tension finds its perfect resolution in Jesus Christ. He lived a life of perfect reverence – in complete obedience and holiness before the Father. Yet He also embodied perfect rejoicing – displaying God's love in the most radical way imaginable.

On the cross, Jesus took upon Himself the wrath of God that Uzzah experienced. For all who believe in Him, that wrath is satisfied. At the same time, the cross demonstrates the heights of God's love and grace. Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice, making a way for us to live our lives before the face of the Lord in both reverence and rejoicing.

So how do we apply this to our daily lives? It starts with recognizing that we can't hide from God. We must lay aside our imaginary "invisibility suits" and live with the constant awareness that we are before His face.

This means approaching God with humility and reverence, submitting to His ways even when they don't make sense to us. It means studying His Word to understand how He wants us to live and worship.

But it also means embracing joy and uninhibited praise. Like David, we should be willing to look foolish in the eyes of the world as we celebrate God's goodness. True worship often involves "taking off our kingly robes" – setting aside our pride, status, and concern for appearances.

As we cultivate both reverence and rejoicing, we'll find our lives transformed. We'll experience the freedom that comes from living authentically before God, knowing that in Christ, we are fully known and fully loved.

Let's challenge ourselves to live each day as if we're standing before the throne of God – because, in reality, we are. May we approach Him with holy fear and trembling, yet also with the exuberant joy of a child running into their father's arms. In doing so, we'll discover the rich, full life that God intends for us – a life lived before His face, in reverence and rejoicing.