God’s Name in Worship – The Kingdom Curriculum VII (3)

God’s Name in Worship

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain…” Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11

“You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:12

How sincere is our worship?

Those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ carry the Name of the Lord with them in all they do. We do not profane God’s Name merely by swearing, or simply by failing to fulfill our solemn vows. It’s quite possible that some of us may be taking the Name of the Lord in vain at the very place and time we most want to honor Him.

Public worship gives us many opportunities to take the Lord’s Name. In prayers and singing, by confessions of faith, in responses to the sermon, in giving testimonies, and by our words and demeanor toward other worshipers: these are all ways that we take the Name of God upon us. In worship we express our thoughts, feelings, views, hopes, longings, and needs, directing all our affections, thoughts, and actions to the Lord. But how sincere are we? I always find it a little dismaying, as a worship leader, to observe the blank, expressionless faces of people as they are singing, “Joy to the world! The Lord is come!” Or “A mighty fortress is our God…” How can anyone sing such words sincerely and not allow some expression of their heart feelings to appear on their faces?

Or, when given opportunities to pray or share a word of testimony, why do so few people seem to have any interest in participating? Have we no desire to honor the Lord with our words at such times? Or do we simply not have anything to say? Are our hearts just not in it?

But that’s just the problem, because even when we’re singing with the most bored and uninterested look on our faces, or clamming up when we should pray or testify, we’re singing or staying silent from the heart, using magnificent words to express empty sentiments, or refusing to take up words that could bring honor and glory to God.

In my view, if we can’t sing the words in the way, or with the sincerity and passion they suggest, we’re better off not singing at all. That way we don’t pretend to be expressing something that isn’t really there. And if we simply have nothing to say in prayer or testimony to honor our God, perhaps we haven’t prepared well enough for coming before Him in worship.

Both of which are just forms of swearing falsely and taking the Name of the Lord in vain.

Get your copy of The Law of God today, and begin making meditation in God’s Law part of your daily discipline. Go to www.MyParuchia.com, point your browser to “Publications,” then click on the drop-down option, “Waxed Tablet Publications.”

—

In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore.

T.M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001,2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.