Who Am I? My Relationship to God through Prayer (part 8)

In worship there is reverence, realizing that there is only one God. This is no more explicit as in Matt 4:10 when Jesus’ response to the temptation that Satan put before him was, “Away from me, Satan. For it is written ‘Worship the LORD your God, and serve Him only’”. This reverence comes from not respecting a place or a congregation and picking sides, and not from thinking one-dimensionally with no room for examination, but by worship of God in the truth and spirit (John 4:2-ff).It is my attitude which God is concerned with. It is that same attitude that will bring unbelievers into the fold to become believers and then followers. The attitude of reverence shown in ICor14:25, “And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God and report that God is in you of a truth”; and in Rev 4:10, “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne...”. This reverence is also shown in Rev 5:14, “...And the four elders fell down and worshipped Him that liveth forever and ever”, and in Rev 7:11, “And all the angels stood round about the throne and about the elders and the four beasts and fell before the throne on their faces and worshipped God”. These are the most direct examples, the most descriptive of what happens in worship and recognition of reverence. But again, that is according to an attitude. How is my attitude when I am prostrate? Do I wish I were some place else? Does my mind wander? Or can I prostrate myself without prostrating myself? That is, can I in my heart prostrate myself and fall on my knees before the King, even if I am sitting in a pew? If so, this is the attitude that Christ and God loves. When I sing “Bring forth the royal diadem and crown Him Lord of all!” am I in fact bringing forth the royal diadem in my heart. It is all in attitude. Do I acknowledge His authority and power? (Matt 9:10)  Do I acknowledge him as the Son of God only after I see Him do His thing, turn water to wine, walk on water? Or do I acknowledge His mastery (Matt 15:25)? In the real and true acknowledgement of Jesus as the Son of God, there will be no doubt of His power. While a weaker person will not necessarily doubt him as the Son of God, he will doubt the power and control he has as Son of God. (Matt 28:9-17). Do I doubt His power, having sung, “I surrender all”? That attitude of surrender is important, if I am to withstand the tiniest of temptations.(2Cor12:8,9)