The Proper Way To Approach God
"Who has measured the waters
in the hollow of his hand,
measured heaven with a span
and calculated the dust of the earth
in a measure,
weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?"
Isaiah 40:12
Sometimes we lose sight of the glory and majesty of Almighty God. Sometimes we take for granted the magnificence of the creation and what kind of Mind put every single thing in place in all of the universe. The Lord challenges us in his Word to consider the absolute vastness of all these wonders and then to recover our humility when we speak to him.
vs 13-14:
"Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,
or as his counselor has taught him?
With whom did he take counsel,
and who instructed him,
and taught him in the path of justice?
Who taught him knowledge,
and showed him the way of understanding?"
When you think about it, doesn't it seem silly to even think of counseling God? Yet many times our prayers sound more like counseling sessions as we tell the Lord what he should do about this or that problem, making suggestions on how he should go about it. Because we don't see him with our eyes, we mentally reduce him to an image of him that we carry in our hearts, a very faulty image, making him in our imagination far less than the superior and infinite and wondrous God that he is.
Friends, when you come before the great God to commune with him, never lose sight of whom you are speaking to. Maintain reverence before him. He tells us to come boldly to the Throne of Grace, because Jesus Christ has made the way to the Father accessible to us, that we might come to him at any and all times. But in coming before him, maintain proper respect for him. Do not think to counsel him or to inform him of something he might not know, something he might have overlooked, because to do that is to insult him. He knows your concerns, he knows you inside out, he knows how you think, and he knows your petitions before you even form them.
Therefore come before God with praise for all you know about him. Bow before him in worship and adore him. Bring to mind the wonderful things he has done for you. Carry a thankful heart into the Throne Room of Almighty God. And THEN ...make known to him your requests. It might seem a trivial rite to have to approach him this way, but it is the way he has shown us in his Word. Read the Psalms of David and see how the king approached God. Yes, he brought his requests before him, but he came with thanksgiving and he acknowledged the majesty of the One he was speaking to.
God says that king David was a man after his own heart, however we know that David was a great sinner, guilty of heinous crimes. But David's heart was always bowed before Almighty God, and he was quick to repent whenever sin was brought to his attention. These are the things that made David beloved, his reverence before God, the beauty of his worship as he penned many Psalms of praise and adoration, and his constant willingness to humble himself and to maintain a heart of repentance before the God that he worshiped from the depths of his heart.
God is delighted to receive us when we approach the Throne of Grace to commune with him. Just never forget though, whom you're speaking to and afford to him the respect and humility due him. Ask for guidance in prayer, that you might pray according to his will, and not your own. Trust that his will for your life will always be with your best interests at heart. He loves you - far more than you have any idea. Trust his love for you in all situations pleasant or unpleasant, for he promises to work ALL THINGS together for your good. (Romans 8:28)
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