APPLICATION ARTICLE | Jason Schrader | Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Introduction: Rediscovering Reverence
Ours is an age that treats nearly everything lightly. We scroll quickly, speak casually, rush contantly. Even matters of deep spiritual significance, such as worship, prayer, and obedience, are often reduced to convenience and comfort. We live in a world that has forgotten how to slow down, how to bow low, how to stand in awe.
But Scripture does not treat reverence as optional: it presents reverence as essential to knowing God. Reverence is what happens when we see God rightly: His holiness, His majesty, His worth. And the heart that sees God rightly simply cannot respond casually.
Hebrews 5:7-8 tells us that Jesus Christ Himself was “heard because of His godly fear,” and that He “learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” Reverence was not merely part of His teaching, it shaped every aspect of His life. If we want to recover reverence, we must look to Christ, who displayed perfect reverence in every circumstance: in prayer, in obedience, in His handling of Scripture, in worship, in relationships, and even in suffering.
What Is Reverence?
A Biblical Definition
In Scripture, reverence is the intersection of fear, awe, humility, and obedience in the presence of God.
In the Old Testament, reverence begins with a right view of God’s holiness. When Moses stood before the burning bush, God declared:
“Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5)
Holiness demands humility. God was not to be approached casually, because His presence changes everything. Isaiah experienced this same awe when he saw the Lord high and lifted up:
“Woe is me… for I am undone! For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5)
Reverence was not a style or mood, it was a reaction to encountering the living God. The Bible often uses the phrase “the fear of the LORD” to describe reverence. This “fear” is not panic or terror but trembling wonder: a recognition that God is infinitely above us.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge…” (Proverbs 1:7)
In the New Testament, reverence continues, clarified through Christ:
“Let us serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” (Hebrews 12:28)
Reverence is expressed through worship, obedience, humility, and total devotion, not outward ritual alone. Christians are called to present their bodies “a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1) and to conduct themselves “with fear” in their time on earth (1 Peter 1:17), not fear of punishment, but fear of displeasing the One we adore. Jesus Christ embodies that reverence perfectly. In His life, we see not only what reverence means, we see how reverence is lived.
Reverence in Prayer (Mark 1:35 / Luke 6:12)
Jesus Christ did not treat prayer as something optional or supplementary. Prayer was central to His relationship with the Father.
“In the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” (Mark 1:35)
Before anyone else stirred, He sought His Father. He protected His time alone with God: rising early, removing Himself from distraction, prioritizing communion over comfort.
“He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” (Luke 6:12)
Jesus did not simply pray when He had free time. He prayed when He was exhausted. He prayed when crowds pressed around Him. He prayed when He faced critical decisions. Hebrews confirms that His prayers were “heard because of His godly fear”: His reverence shaped His petition. When we skim through rushed bedtime prayers, or allow phones and schedules to pull our attention away from God, we reveal how lightly we take His presence. Jesus shows us that true reverence changes our priorities: When God matters most, prayer matters most.
Reverence in Obedience (John 4:34 / John 5:19 / Philippians 2:8)
Reverence is not sentimental admiration, it is active obedience.
“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me…” (John 4:34)
Obedience nourished Him. It was His mission and desire. He declared:
“The Son can do nothing of Himself…” (John 5:19)
His choices and actions aligned perfectly with the Father’s will. That obedience reached its ultimate expression at the cross:
He “became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:8)
Reverence does not waver when obedience becomes costly. Polycarp understood this. When arrested and commanded to deny Christ, the 86-year-old elder replied:
“For eighty-six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”
He died because obedience mattered more than survival.
Yet most obedience is not heroic, it is hidden. Jesus spoke of feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, comforting the lonely (Matthew 25). These are not dramatic moments, they are reverent ones. Reverence asks: “What does God want?” before “What do I want?” and then acts accordingly.
Reverence in Scripture (Matthew 4 / John 10:35)
A powerful example of this same reverence is seen in Eric Liddell, the Olympic runner and missionary. In 1924, he refused to compete in an Olympic final when he learned the race was scheduled on a Sunday: a day he had devoted to worship. He gave up worldwide acclaim, not because he lacked ambition, but because he revered God’s Word more than human praise. To revere God is to revere what He has spoken. Godly fear listens, trusts, and obeys.
Reverence in Worship (Luke 4:16 / Matthew 26:30 / John 2:13–17)
Jesus treated worship as a priority, not a convenience.
“As His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day…” (Luke 4:16)
Worship was His habit, not an occasional activity when life slowed down. He also protected worship. When He cleansed the temple (John 2:13–17), He drove out the merchants who had reduced the Father’s house to a marketplace. His zeal revealed a heart determined to honor the holiness of God.
“And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” (Matthew 26:30)
In the shadow of the cross, He honored the Father in song. Reverence gives God attention, affection, and priority, not what is left over.
Reverence in Relationships (Matthew 19:14 / Matthew 25)
Reverence also shapes how we treat people because they are made in God’s image.
“Let the little children come to Me…” (Matthew 19:14)
To devalue another person is to ignore the God who made them. Joseph Scriven, author of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” lived reverence through service. He quietly spent his days chopping wood for widows, caring for the poor, and helping neighbors in need, not for applause, but because people mattered to God. True reverence refuses to separate worship from compassion.
Reverence in Suffering (Hebrews 5:7-8 / Matthew 26:39 / Hebrews 12:2)
Suffering tests our theology. It reveals whether we revere God only in comfort or also in crisis.
“O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39)
He poured out His soul “with vehement cries and tears” (Hebrews 5:7). And His prayer was heard because of His godly fear: His reverence remained firm even as sorrow pressed Him down. Suffering teaches dependence, reminding us that strength, hope, and life come from God alone.
Suffering teaches endurance, Jesus “endured the cross, despising the shame” (Hebrews 12:2), showing us that reverence keeps obeying when obedience hurts.
Horatio Spafford, who lost four daughters in a tragic shipwreck, stood near the waters where they died and wrote:
“It is well, it is well with my soul.”
That is reverence: not the absence of tears, but trust that endures through tears.
Conclusion: Recovering What We Lost
We live in a world that is easily shaken. Our schedules shake. Our emotions shake. Our institutions shake. But the kingdom of Christ cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28). Because we belong to that kingdom, we are called to serve God with reverence and godly fear.
Reverence is not outdated, it is essential. It is the right response to the holiness of God. It is what aligns our hearts with His will. It is what turns ordinary days into worship. May we learn reverence once again from the One who revealed it perfectly: Jesus Christ, our Lord.
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January 2026 | GROW magazine
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