In Isaiah 6, King Uzziah died after a reign of more than 50 years. He was a good king. After his death, people
feared the onset of uncertain times. In this same passage, Isaiah talks amount Amazing worship. In other stories, we can still get many practical tips on worship in troubled times.
In the lock down times we are living in, it may be difficult to feel as though things are going well. It is a good time to be reminded of how we can thrive during times of worship.
Ezekiel 1 26 Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphires, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.
A Practical view
Can you imagine? What would it be like if we are focused on God and we are able to see Him at the same time? The appearance of someone who has always been beyond our comprehension would be overwhelming and hard to describe. God is just so beautiful, our description could only be in terms of things we understand. It’s something I would long for, but not something I would normally expect in worship. I am a visual person. Seeing God while I worship would be a great addition to the experience. When we approach worship, 1) A small view of God.is usually what we live with. We know even a brief glimpse of Him will change us. Our attitude in worship should be an approach of reverence. A relevant question would be, “Could we stand it to see God in our worship?” In Ecclesiastes 5 “1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. 2 Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell face down, and I heard the voice of one speaking.”
As we come into worship, not only should we be reverent, 2) We should be into the worship (fully engaged). Worship should not be deliberate and intentional. I remember Francis Chan once explained that worship should be a point of 3a) Reckless abandon for God. In one of his sermons he mentioned the anointing of Jesus by the sinful woman story, found in Luke 7:36-50. Interestingly, the woman described in that story had no shame, and anointed Jesus’ feet with abandon, not caring what others might think.
This concept is a challenge for many believers. In today’s culture of worship, can we do things like -dance, -run the aisles, -wave a handkerchief, or even, -fall supine on the floor? In many churches, no. it is my nature not to be overly emotional. I wold have to be alone, and feeling the presence of Jesus before I would consider such things. It is when we put ourselves into this range of thought that we discover it is not the character of God we are concerned about here. 3b) We are feeling concerned about our own reputation. In the midst of our worship are we concerned by reputation or character in relation to God?
the view along the way
Simon Peter was still in the disciple stage during the anointing incident, but I don’t feel he was known for doing his worship in some form of reckless abandon. Individual worship is to a personal character thing. For instance, I raise my hands during moving songs, and I can feel God’s presence. I am without concern for what that looks like to the people around me. There is a point when I might become distracting to other people’s worship. It is only important for me to control my heart. I have a role to not interfere in how other people are involved in worship. In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul says “40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.”
My role in worship is practical. What is the attitude of my heart?. When my heart is not in a state of worship, God knows it. 
I once participated in a service where a guy started yelling at the preacher, because he did not like what was being preached! The only appropriate thing was to escort him out of the service (He could discuss it later). Indeed, it was awkward, but it was the least disruptive thing to do for the worship service to remain orderly. We need to minimize distractions in our worship.
As a final point, the attitude of the heart in worship needs to be genuine. Would you rather fool everyone about your attitude of worship, or be right with God? It is a grave decision: If you are a fool, you can end up facing eternal consequences.
