Every now and then, the Lord lodges something in my gut for me to ponder. Last week I was reading my Bible and came across this passage: “he [Abraham] grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God” (Romans 4:20). Something about that scripture just really spoke to me. Probably because there are many days that my faith seems weak. So I felt compelled to really dig into the meaning of this scripture. I got out all my translations, pulled out a concordance and dictionary, and I went to work. This is what I discovered: Abraham’s faith was empowered by God as Abraham praised and worshiped God. What this tells me is that God does for me that thing that I cannot do for myself, when I SEEK HIS FACE. Wow. And it isn’t even about getting all anal about being religious. That place of praise and worship that God is speaking about is a place where we let the cares of the world (the cares of our hearts) go, and simply come into His presence, focusing on Him. It is truly a place of resting IN HIM.
I love it: In letting go we are lifted up. So many times I hear, “Let go and let God.” I don’t know about you, but that is probably one of the most difficult things for me to get my mind around. I want to know practically speaking what that means. I am such a crazy perfectionist by nature that it is virtually impossible for me to let go of anything. But to take a moment and focus my mind on God’s presence (“Hey God, You said You would be here, so here I am looking for You!), to say to those other pressing concerns “Not now” (like saying to a child, friend, etc. “not now, I’m on the phone,” or whatever you would fill that blank with), and to simply begin to praise God (“Oh Lord, You are beautiful to me”) and worship Him (“I bow my heart before you,” or even get on my knees in the floor as if I’m kneeling before an actual throne). These things I can do.
And doing them, getting into that head space, then that heart space, does something in me. Rather, it opens a portal where God can do something in me. The things I keep trying to do to myself (i.e. make myself less worried or anxious, more organized, more prioritized, more whatever) He does for me. He is able (allowed) to do whatever in me that is needed for that particular moment. And most of the time I am no judge of what that is. I even come to Him with my agenda of what I think He needs to do for me, and He looks at it and then does what is really needed instead. I always glad God’s Spirit gives me what I need instead of what I am specifically asking for. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m still asking, because sometimes I am right on target with what I need. But God is so much bigger and better than me. And when we fall and worship Him, He is able to reach our deepest need, filling it to overflowing.
My prayer for each of you today is that you would find that place of blind faith where you trust that the presence of the Lord is really there, and you fall and worship Him, and then you receive from Him the life-giving love He has died to give to you. It’s personal, it’s specific, and like a good back scratch-er, it reaches all those places you miss.
Blessings my friends,
Sami
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