Psalm 47:1-2 “O clap your hands, all peoples; shout to God with the voice of joy. For the Lord Most High is to be feared, a great King over all the earth.”
Am I in awe of the Most High God? As I look at His handiwork and behold His goodness in my life and the lives of those around me, am I shaken to the core and do I tremble at the God who is the Maker of heaven and earth and the owner of the cattle on a thousand hills?
Prayer is for those who are utterly dependent on God, those who look to God in humble expectancy, and those who fear Him - are in awe of Him.
Am I given to praise the way the Psalmist is given to praise in Psalm 66? Shout joyfully to God all the earth; sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious. Say to God, "How awesome are your works! Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You. All the earth will worship You, And will sing praises to You; They will sing praises to Your name."
Come see the works of God, Who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men (vs. 1-5).
Am I so in awe of this God that I desire to tell of his great works and hear others tell of His wonders? Psalm 66:16, “Come and hear, all who fear God, And I will tell of what He has done for my soul.”
I have to ask myself these questions if I am not given to praying with a heart filled with praise and thanksgiving. We are called to fear God. He is able to cast the soul into hell and He able to save us and cause us to enter into His eternal joy and experience His eternal pleasures. The fear and awe we are called to have should drive us to God - not away from Him. If we live an awe-filled life we will live a life of prayer. We will be driven to Him. As we pray in humble expectation, we will be struck with holy fear as we see how He displays His great power, compassion, wrath, faithfulness, and we will be filled with a sense of awe. This sweet communion with God as I pour my heart out to Him, helps me to consider the character of God and the works of God like Pastor Matt recently exhorted us to do. And if I am considering God and His works, I am spurred on to stand in awe of Him. The more I pray in accordance with who He is, as found in His word the more I find God to be what Jonathan Edwards once said about who God is to His people: God is their wealth and treasure, their food, their life, their dwelling place, their ornament and diadem, and their everlasting honor and glory. This God is surely to be adored and feared.
In the early church it says in Acts 2:43, “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe (fear); and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.” I want to be in a consistent state of awe. I think watching God work in the humble, expectant prayers of His people can provoke that in our hearts.
Come and behold the works of the Lord, Who wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. (Psalm 46:8-10)
If humility, expectation and awe drive a person to pray, will prayer just happen? Or, is it truly a discipline? Do we need a plan to pray, dare I say a method? Does it take practice?
Tomorrow we will Plan to Pray.
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1 comment:
It seems to me a good thing to remember that even though we have a a great friend in Jesus we are still approaching the throne of the King of Kings and would do well to tremble.
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