On page 92 of Gospel Worship Burroughs uses the example of the elders in Revelation 4 who "worshipped God to purpose when they saw the Lord in that majesty as he was"and of course Burroughs makes the application for us saying, "We should at all times have high thoughts of God".
I wholeheartedly agree and would add that from what I have gathered from things that I've read, people I've interacted with in different worship circles, and pure observation I am convinced that our biggest problem today is that people are so occupied with God's immanence to the point where He is simply a friend without being a Lord. To many He is a fellow servant and not the Master, a brother but not The Great High Priest.
This is clearly a result of our cultures proclivity to raise personal experience over truth or further still it is a direct result of a people who believe that all ideas are valid thereby causing them not have a truly submissive spirit when comes to matters of worship (or hardly anything else at that). When personal thoughts regarding the worship of God are all (or mostly all) that God's people reference when seeking to worship Him their ideas, feelings, and desires ultimately control what they want worship to be as opposed to how God says He is to be worshipped. Furthermore, God has simply become who they think God ought to be and not who He says He is. Burroughs warns us after using the examples of the elders in Revelation chapter four saying that we must "take heed of having low thoughts and apprehensions of the infinite majesty of God at any time, but especially when you are to worship the great God (p.92)".
What then should be done about the perpetually low thoughts of God that our people hold in their hearts and minds? Burroughs says, "there must be much reverence and much fear when you come into the presence of God to worship Him. You do not glorify God as God unless you come into His presence with much fear and reverence of His great name (p 101)".
Are the problems in our contemporary worship scenes really that simple? Can they truly all be fixed with the batting of an eye? Well sure, there are much broader issues to be dealt with and yes, one could look very deeply into our churches and see a great number of other problems. However, I fully believe that at the heart of what is going on these days the first solution is for God's people to submit, submit, submit to how He wants to be worshipped not how they prefer to worship. Certainly at the very least if our thoughts were to become higher of God we would cease to fuss with stylistic preference for the most part.
The end goal in raising our fear and reverence for God would be of course to glorify and enjoy Him forever. Burroughs says that Those who can delight in God's worship, even though they find nothing coming to themselves, aim at God in holy duties (99)". He charges us that in the duties of worship one of the primary ingredients is what he calls "strength of affection". He says, "the affections must work mightily after God, striving with God...If ever you had a heart enflamed with anything, it should be when you are praying or attending upon the Word as the heathens who worshipped the sun (107)". Furthermore, He says that "It is a good sign of a gracious fear when the soul can be struck with more fear from the Word, and from the sight of God in enjoying communion with Him in His worship...(103)".
It is in fear and reverence and awe of the Lord that we desire to enjoy worship. It is not our goal to "subject the worship of God to our lusts (94)" by starting wars on style, appearance, presentation, etc... as it relates to what man wants. We must wholeheartedly believe that God is wholly other and ought to be enjoyed in His glory and awe, on His terms, with His people.
Who am I, O gracious God that you would mind my woe?
Who am I, O mighty King that you would look so low?
To cleanse my heart, my words and thoughts and wash my filthy threads?
By dying on that gruesome cross and raising from the dead!
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