“For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!” (Psalm 95:3-6, ESV)

I have never been invited to dinner by royalty or a head of state. Should this ever happen (it won’t), I will immediately search out all the information I can find on proper protocol for such an occasion. Much of protocol is the same good manners we would use with anyone, but certain things are just not done in the presence of such high leaders. I would want to conduct myself correctly on this notable occasion.

While most of us will never enjoy the experience of meeting royalty or other heads of state, we do have the opportunity to enter the presence of the King of kings each day. I wonder if we give the same care and consideration on how to enter His presence.

Unlike earthly royalty, I need never fear coming before this Sovereign unannounced. He is my King, but I am His child and therefore of royal blood. I may approach Him at any time without fear of His displeasure. He will lovingly beckon me with His scepter of righteousness (Hebrews 1:8) and invite me to come near. Hebrews 4:16 tells me I may “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” This King does not hold Himself aloof; I can reach out and touch Him.

There is no need for me to hurry from His presence. In fact, He longs for me to linger so that He can speak His words deep into my heart. Why would I rudely hasten away, impatient to return to the ordinary things of my life? What is more important than spending time with the King?

I feel awed and humbled to enter the throne room of the Creator of the universe. This is a sacred place filled with glory and majesty. I bow in reverence and wonderment to offer the worship He is due. Missionary martyr Jim Elliott must have felt that same reverence when he said, “O, the fullness, the pleasure, the sheer excitement of knowing God on earth.”

In his book The Knowledge of the Holy, A. W. Tozer warns us to never lose our wonder of God’s splendor. “With our loss of the sense of majesty has come the further loss of religious awe and consciousness of the divine Presence. We have lost our spirit of worship and our ability to withdraw inwardly to meet God in adoring silence.”

If I never meet an earthly king or head of state, that is fine. Life will go on and I will be content. But if I never take time to enter the presence of the King of Kings, I will have missed the greatest opportunity of my life. He is waiting for me to come. I am welcome in His presence.

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. (I Chronicles 29:11, ESV)

Lord, thank You for the opportunity to bow before Your throne and bask in Your presence. I am in awe that the Creator of the universe loves me unconditionally and invites me to come sit before Him. Help me to never lose the wonder of being in Your presence.

(More scriptures on God’s majesty: I Chronicles 16:29, Psalm 8, Psalm 86:8-10, Psalm 104:1-3)

 

Author

Mary enjoys traveling, meeting new people, and spending time with old friends. Although directionally challenged, she would rather take the back roads with their discoveries than the boredom of the interstate.

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