Saturday, June 22, 2013

Who Am I? My relationship to God through prayer (part 6)


God doesn’t want the incantations of the Pharisees. (Matt 6:7,8) He would rather I come to Him with a simple, “I love you” from me then a long drawn out liturgy of bowing and kneeling. I am His child. I belong at His feet as His friend and daughter (John 15:13). Not as praying through indulgences to get favors or even to survive the heavy burdens others may say I owe, or to do this or to do that. Not trying to do something that would get me into heaven. But already knowing my place is in heaven, sitting with God, at His feet. If I follow His commandments, if I walk in Him, then I am going to get an inheritance, and only God can judge me. (I Kings 3:7-13) And He will give me the wisdom and intelligence He has to get me through any trials. Why? Because He wants me at His feet. He wants me, with my differences from each and every other human being in this universe. He wants me at His side.(2 Chronicles 1:10-12) That the God in heaven wants me there, at His side, that He truly loves me enough to give me an inheritance, to say I am His. I did nothing to earn this. It was Christ where the fruition of my inheritance became a reality. Where the Old Testament connected to the New Testament (Matt 12:40,41). Where I confess that Jesus is Lord (Rom 10, Ezra 10:1), the only Lord and Son of God (Matt 18:16) Do I take this inheritance seriously? Do I ask Him to look at my meditation and consider it? Or is there something I want to hide? Do I forget that God sees everything even if I don’t want Him to? Everything, even my intentions? I must return to the quietness and not be in the open, visible spaces where there are multiple distractions (Matt 6:6). Do I boast about my prayers or am I a truly praying person who like Isaac hides in the middle of the field? Do I go to God like Moses for grace, widom, and guidance? Do I cower before the burning bush and ask for direction (Exodus 33:12-18)? Do I call upon Him, tears of desparation in my heart (Gen 18:26-32)? Do I beseech Him because of Who He is? If I really want a father-daughter relationship, I really need to be on my knees, not just physically but mentally and emotionally and then He will lift me up, as He lifted up Joshus to say “Get thee up, wherefore liest thou upon thy feet?” (Joshua 7:10). I need to be there not in subjection, for He says I am no longer a slave (Rom 8:12-14), not in abjection for He loves me and has raised me like His Son (Rom 6:1-6), but out of respect for the Kingship of the LORD GOD, as I walk out of the Egypts of life saying, “Hear, O, Isreal,  The LORD our GOD is one God” (Deut 6:4). Out of love for the Eternal Parent. Knowing that Father really does know best. I can boldly go to Him because He wants a relationship with me (Heb 4:16). He wants a relationship with me. He wants to grant me grace and mercy. He wants that all should have eternal life. So He reaches out His arms and hands to me, gathers me up, traverses over what seems like an insurmountable ocean and then holds me in His unchanging hand. He can do it all and has. Why shouldn’t I want to be with Him? Why shouldn’t I want to be in constant and consistent contact with Him (1Thes 5:17)? That’s what He wants, and He doesn’t as for much. Who am I to deny the Creator of the Universe, the Lover of my soul, anything?

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