“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” (Psalm 89:7).
TEXT — Psalm 89:5-14
Message
There once lived a man who protested whenever he was told, “God be with you.” He argued that God being with you would make your life miserable as you would not be able to meet His demands. To him, God being with you would also mean a loss of personal freedom. As ridiculous as such reasoning is, it reflects the attitude of many people and shows the shallowness of their ideas about God. A normal relationship with God has room for neither trifling disposition nor slavish fear.
When the Psalmist, in today’s text, observed that “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,” he alluded to reverential fear. This describes a deep respect and awe for God, considering the awesomeness of His greatness, holiness, gloriousness, and power as highlighted in today’s Bible passage. God is so infinitely great and faithful that no being in heaven or on earth is comparable to Him. He rules the raging of the sea and hushes the waves. Like an unconquerable warrior, He routs the enemies of His people, as seen in the case of ancient Egypt. Heaven and earth are His. He is not only the Creator but also the Sustainer of all things above and here beneath. His government is marked by righteousness and justice. Mercy and truth go before Him like outriders.
These features of God’s omnipotence should naturally compel wholehearted worship from angels and men. As the angels in heaven honour the Lord and are swift to do His bidding, so ought His saints on earth to reverence and obey Him in all things. The true worship of God must take into account both the extent of His majesty, power, and glory,and also, the depth of His love and grace.
The reprehensibly presumptuous attitudes and performances that are commonly associated with Christian worship today are alien to the true worship of God. A realisation of God’s greatness, glory, goodness, and graciousness should only humble us and compel us to honour and obey Him wholeheartedly and with reverential fear
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
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