The answer
Whether worshipping in the midst of the holy congregation (in church) or in his private room, a believer ought to be aware of Who it is to whom he offers worship, and who it is who is offering the worship. The Book of Revelation declares that the Lord is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings (Rev. 17:14). But at the same time, He has made us kings and priests to His God and Father (Rev. 1:6). We stand as kings before the King of Kings. We commit ourselves to manifest the signs of our kingship, as children of God the Father, and members of the body of Christ, being aware that we are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells within us. This awareness instils hope in us, hope in Him who is Almighty; and so we pray with boldness because He is the Lover of humanity.
I recall one of the servants in the Church of the Virgin Mary in Moharam Bek, Alexandria, used to repeat this prayer: “I will not accept from You anything less than to be an icon of You.”
St. John Chrysostom says, “For the ruler when he comes before the king ought to have the symbol of his rule. As therefore no ruler without military girdle and cloak, would venture to appear before him that has the diadem: so neither do you without the symbols of your rule, pray before God, lest you insult both yourself and Him that has honored you.”1
Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty
Notes
1 St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on the First Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians 26.4 (NPNF I/12:153) amended.