Watch Your Step: How We Come Into the Presence of God

Meta Description: How you approach God in worship matters more than the music or the building. Discover three postures that transform how we encounter God. URL Slug: watch-your-step-how-we-come-into-the-presence-of-god Featured Image: A close-up of open hands resting on an open Bible, warm natural light, suggesting humility and receptiveness in worship.

What would you do if the elevator doors opened and you found yourself face-to-face with royalty?

I've been thinking about a story that circulated after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. A British podcaster — also a priest — shared an account about the queen preparing to open parliament. At the last moment, her security team decided she should take an elevator rather than climb the stairs. In the scramble, no one cleared the service floor. When the doors opened, a cleaning lady with a trolley of supplies shoved her way in without looking. When she finally realized who was standing beside her, she let out an expletive. An awkward silence fell — and then everyone, including the queen, burst into laughter. The story goes that the queen later invited her for tea at Buckingham Palace.

Most of us will never be caught off guard in an elevator with royalty. But every single week, you and I walk into something far more significant: the presence of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And the question I've been sitting with — and that I want to sit with you — is this: are we treating it that way?

The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Do

This past Sunday, we continued our walk through the book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon, for all his wisdom and for all his hard-won observations about the emptiness of life "under the sun," pauses in chapter 5 to give us some of the most practical counsel in all of Scripture — about how to come before God.

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 reads:

"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Better to approach in obedience than to offer the sacrifice as fools do, for they ignorantly do wrong. Do not be hasty to speak, and do not be impulsive to make a speech before God. God is in heaven, and you are on the earth, so let your words be few... When you make a vow to God, don't delay fulfilling it, because he does not delight in fools. Fulfill what you vow. Better that you do not vow than that you vow and not fulfill it... For many dreams bring futility, so do many words. Therefore, fear God."

"Guard your steps." In other words — watch your step. This matters. How we come into the presence of God shapes everything: what we believe is true, what we believe about ourselves, and what we think is worth living for.

So how do we come? I believe Solomon gives us three things.

Come With a Humble Heart

Solomon contrasts two kinds of worshipers. One offers sacrifices — goes through all the motions — but does it ignorantly. The rituals are there, but the heart is somewhere else. The other comes in obedience, ready to listen and to be changed.

The Hebrew word Solomon uses here carries the idea of coming before God not to tell him what he's going to do for you, but to listen and obey. Your "yes" is already on the table before you even hear the question.

There's a difference between a food critic and a hungry person. A food critic goes to a restaurant to evaluate it. A hungry person goes to eat. When it comes to worship, we don't come to critique — we come to eat. We come hungry.

C.S. Lewis captured this brilliantly in The Screwtape Letters, where a senior demon coaches a junior one on how to neutralize a Christian's worship. His strategy? "Make his mind flit to and fro between an expression like the body of Christ and the actual faces in the pew." Turn worship into a running commentary on everyone else — and by implication, how superior you are to them.

The sermon may not be perfect. The music may not always land exactly right. But if you bring a humble, hungry heart into the room, you will encounter God. The most important thing you bring to church isn't your offering or your attendance record. It's your heart.

Listen More Than You Speak

Solomon's second counsel is pointed: "Do not be hasty to speak... God is in heaven, and you are on earth, so let your words be few."

Worship is not about us having a lot to say to God. It's about being quiet enough to hear what God has to say to us. He reinforces this throughout Proverbs:

"Where there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is prudent." — Proverbs 10:19

"Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent." — Proverbs 17:28

Jesus told a parable in Luke 18 about two men who went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee had plenty of words — he catalogued his fasting, his tithing, his moral superiority. The tax collector, broken and ashamed, couldn't even lift his eyes. He simply said, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Not a fancy prayer. Not a long prayer. Just a few honest words.

Jesus said that man — the one with fewer words and a more broken heart — went home right with God.

When we come to worship, we need to lean in and listen. God has things to say to us that we desperately need to hear.

Leave With an Obedient Resolve

The third thing Solomon warns about is making vows to God and not keeping them. He says it plainly: "Better that you do not vow than that you vow and not fulfill it."

This isn't just about dramatic promises. It's about all of us. Every one of us should make — and keep — some commitments to the Lord.

Have you made a commitment to Jesus Christ, turning from your sin and trusting him as Lord? Have you made a commitment to his people — to a church body where you plant your life, serve, give, and grow? These aren't casual suggestions. They're the shape of a life built on God.

And here's the thing: what you're committed to tells everything about your life. Solomon is saying don't be the person who talks big in the sanctuary and walks out unchanged. Make the vow. Then keep it — next Sunday, in a small group, in your giving, in your serving.

The Invitation Is Already Open

You may never be ushered into the Oval Office. You'll probably never share an elevator with a queen. But you have an open invitation — right now, this week — to come before the King of Kings.

When you come, watch your step. Bring a humble heart. Come with a listening ear. And leave with an obedient resolve to do what God is asking of you.

That's what worship is for. And it is the most important thing you will ever do.

If you'd like to watch the full message, you can find it on our website and YouTube channel. And if you're looking for a place to go deeper with these ideas alongside others, I'd love for you to get connected — whether that's joining a small group, stopping by our connection hub on a Sunday, or simply reaching out to us directly. We'd love to hear from you.

Social Media Excerpt (Facebook/Instagram): What would you do if you suddenly found yourself face-to-face with royalty? Every week, we walk into something even more significant — the presence of the King of Kings. But are we treating it that way? This week's message from Ecclesiastes 5 is a timely reminder: watch your step when you come before God. Come hungry. Come listening. And leave ready to obey.

Hashtags: #WatchYourStep #Ecclesiastes #HowToWorship #SundaySermon #CalvaryChurch