“Describe worship.” If I were to ask that of a varied group of Christians, I’m guessing I would get a varied assortment of answers. For many, we’d immediately go to singing . . . for some, a “be still and know that I am God” meditative action (or lack of action) might come to mind . . . and others might recall that offering our bodies as a living sacrifice is considered our spiritual act of worship. If I were to ask, “So, what does worship look like?” there too, a variety of responses might be expected. Sitting down . . . standing up . . . hands clasped . . . hands raised . . . heads bowed . . . faces turned toward heaven . . . on your knees . . . on your face. But there’s at least one physical manifestation that I wouldn’t have anticipated or expected . . .

Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts! Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth!    (Psalm 96:7-9 ESV)

Check out the verbs, the “action words”, in these verses. Ascribe is repeated three times . . . the worshiper is to give to the Lord . . . to give to Him the recognition of who He is . . . to place before Him the confession of His glory and strength . . . to set before Him the acknowledgment of the glory dues His name. The worshiper is also to bring an offering . . . it’s not just singing, it’s a gift . . . it’s a tribute . . . it’s the fruit of our time, our efforts, our desires that is presented before Him who is worthy of any and all gifts we bring before Him.

And “bring it” is what we are supposed to do. We come into His courts . . . we can’t send someone else. By His grace we enter into His presence . . . carefully, thoughtfully, but boldly we approach the very throne of grace with our “ascribings” and our offerings. And then, we worship . . . literally we bow down . . . we humble ourselves as we become mindful of the One in Whose presence we find ourselves . . . our hearts are lowered as we become mindful of the splendor or His holiness.

But there’s one more verb here . . . an “action word” that I most often just pass over. But not this morning. While the psalmist calls the worshiper of God to ascribe to God the glory due His name . . . and to bring offerings and come into the very courts of the majestic King of glory . . . and to bow down before Him who is holy, holy, holy . . . the psalmist also instructs the worshiper to tremble . . . “tremble before Him, all the earth!”

Trembling . . . not the first thing . . . or even one of the first 10 things . . . that come to mind when I consider worship. But here it is.

I don’t know that I’d say that these actions are meant to be progressive . . . but they certainly could be. What starts with an acknowledgment and declaration of the attributes of our great God . . . can then become the bringing of an offering, if but the sacrifice of the fruit of our lips (Heb. 13:15) as we enter His presence . . . resulting in the compulsion to go to our knees, perhaps to our faces, if only in our hearts, as we start to grasp something of the splendor of His holy nature and dwelling . . . all this could very well, and perhaps, should more often, lead to a trembling as we become increasingly conscious of who God is . . . that we are in His very presence . . . and the awesome privilege that is ours to bring before Him anything at all.

If I was to truly discern the glory and power and holiness of Jehovah God, wouldn’t I shake? Wouldn’t I too be a Quaker? Not that I would “turn on” or manufacture a trembling before God . . . but that the awareness of God would so electrify my souls that it would send a shiver down my spine . . . that the glory of God would cause the hair to raise up on my neck . . . that I, along with His people, might know what it is, from time to time, to tremble in worship.

. . . tremble before Him, all the earth!