Psalms – Prayers of Honesty and Praise
When an item you bought stops working, you want it fixed or you want a new one, right? First you go back to the place you purchased it. Then you find someone to help you. If that person cannot help you, you ask for their boss. If the boss of the first person can’t help you, you ask for the manager of the whole store. Now, you hope to get somewhere with a person who has the authority to bring a solution to your problem. Who you talk to makes all the difference in the world. By the way, getting angry does not help you or the person with no authority in front of you. Be kind and just go to the manager.
When I look back on my life, I wonder how much wasted time was spent talking to others about my problems who had no authority for solve them. Yes, it was good to have a listening ear but the problem did not get solved. The good feeling from being heard from others was only temporary. When I go straight to the problem solver, God, Himself, in Jesus Name, life is managed more efficiently. I must remember, however JUST WHO I’M TALKING TO! Because of Jesus, we can go right into God’s Holy Presence and be heard. Remember the holiness of God, not only as a Friend, but as GOD!“Tremble, Earth! You’re in the Lord’s presence! In the presence of Jacob’s God”, writes our Psalmist. This leaps out to me as I approach the One who loves me most, the One who loves all His creation with compassion and mercy, the One and Only who knows all, is in all and will solve all your problems with His power and might.
Think about just who we are talking to this morning…and bow down, worship, humbling ourselves before the God who loved us first. HE is God and we are not. Wow. Approach God with fear and awe. A fear that draws you to the One and Only God and causes you to be in awe of all He has done, is doing and will do in our lives until we see Him face to face in all His glory.Yes, “tremble, Earth!”, indeed.
Psalm 114, The Message
1-8 After Israel left Egypt, the clan of Jacob left those barbarians behind;
Judah became holy land for him,
Israel the place of holy rule.
Sea took one look and ran the other way;
River Jordan turned around and ran off.
The mountains turned playful and skipped like rams,
the hills frolicked like spring lambs.
What’s wrong with you, Sea, that you ran away?
and you, River Jordan, that you turned and ran off?
And mountains, why did you skip like rams?
and you, hills, frolic like spring lambs?
Tremble, Earth! You’re in the Lord’s presence!
in the presence of Jacob’s God.
He turned the rock into a pool of cool water,
turned flint into fresh spring water.
HEART CHECK:
The God of Jacob is still our the same God who loves us and longs to be with us. This is amazing grace for sure!
Imagine Jesus sitting in the room with You, His Holy Spirit washing over you with the peace of Christ in your heart. I have even given Jesus a chair in a room to help me imagine this moment! Does this help to remember just who we are talking to each day, throughout the day and into the night?
Do we remember to communicate with God “in Jesus Name”? Jesus is our advocate before God. The Holy Spirit leads us to God. Be in awe of the THREE-IN-ONE.
Now, answer the question we began with…just WHO are we talking to right now?
Dear Heavenly Father,
I am humbled before you. Who am I that you would love me so much? I mess up in my words and actions and yet you lift me up, brush me off and love me still. You teach and encourage me. I come before your throne life concerns and you welcome me. Thank you, dear Jesus, for making a way through your sacrifice, death and resurrection to come back to God freely and unafraid but with fear and awe with respect and gratitude. You are the One. Thank you for the continual transformation of my life to be all you intended for me to be.
In Jesus Name, Amen
