“The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy making wise the simple…Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair.” (Psalm 19:7, 9 NLT)
Psalm 19 is a powerful and helpful introduction to what it looks like to walk closely with the Lord. These words of David address many of the issues we face today in our walk with Him. David magnifies praise to and adoration of the Lord for His creativity, turns to the value of knowing God’s commandments, then ends the Psalm with personal response in verse 14: “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
Reverence is a word we’ve watered down in our more recent translations. The KJV is closer when it uses the word “fear,” but still doesn’t fully convey the picture David is painting. “Exceedingly dreadful” or “terror” comes closer to helping us understand the basis of our relationship with our Father. I’m concerned we have thrown the proverbial “baby out with the bath water” when it comes to how casually we approach our Father.
We refer to Him as “the man upstairs” or approach Him in prayer as if He’s some kind of heavenly vending machine. We rush into prayer without even acknowledging to Whom we’re speaking, then pout when we don’t get whatever “toy” we’re asking for. Reverence for God for a believer denotes waiting in hushed honor, recognizing He has the power to incinerate us with a glance.
How many of us would rush into our boss’s office and start making demands without as much as a “Hi, how ya doing?” Yes, of course God loves us and has given us permission to come to Him at any time, but we approach Him like spoiled brats, not asking with intent to let Him answer in any manner He sees fit, rather demanding He give us what we want when we want it.
And yes, I’m exaggerating a bit, but not by much. Why is it so critical that we see God in the proper light and with the right understanding? Because prayer, our communion with our heavenly Father isn’t to get answers, it’s to engage in intimacy with the Most High God. We don’t come into God’s presence running our mouths and making demands, we humble ourselves and with respect and patience make our requests to Him.
He’s our Father, and as such He loves us with an everlasting love, but we spurn His love when we disrespect Him by praying in a way that doesn’t give recognition to who He is. That’s why Jesus taught us to pray first and foremost: “Our Father in heaven, may Your name be kept holy.” If we don’t lay the groundwork in our own heart and mind as we begin to pray, we’ll ask wrongly and/or for the wrong reasons.
Corky Calhoun said: “Our prayers should always begin with reverence and then end with anticipated revival.” The end of prayer isn’t an answer, it’s a life conformed to the likeness of Jesus. We grow in our understanding of what it means to be a child of God when we pray. We may be praying for our sick child, but the way we ask and the motivation as to why we’re asking shapes us and moves us closer to the Lord or pushes us further away.
The word translated “reviving” in the verse above means essentially to repent, to convert, to change our way of thinking so that it conforms more perfectly to the way God thinks and acts. When we reverently approach our Father as an act of worship, waiting and listening before speaking or making requests, it changes us in positive ways. Our thoughts aren’t focused simply on the answers we desire, but God’s will, which often involves ways we can bless and invest in someone else’s life, rather than simply getting the answer we want.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 