‘By those who come near Me
I must be regarded as holy;
And before all the people
I must be glorified.’
I must be regarded as holy;
And before all the people
I must be glorified.’
Leviticus 10:2 (NKJV)
It seems like we have lost some of this reverence when it comes to prayer.
In the prayer that Christ taught His disciples He began with
"Our Father, who is in Heaven, HOLY is Your name"
The first thing He does is to point out to us the nature of the One we are speaking to.
Do we realize who it is we come before when we pray? Sometimes it seems like we have become flippant or comfortable with the fact that we come into the presence of absolute holiness when we approach our Father.
This week I am going to try developing a habit in my prayer of beginning with an acknowledgement of God and His characteristics (especially that of holiness). I am quite suspicious that it will change the way I pray, the way I trust, and the way I see God.
I invite you to join me.
I like that you share your expectations... we ought to expect good things to come from from aligning ourselves with Christ's pattern.
ReplyDeleteI accept this invitation. And I expect to be humbled. "Thy will be done" follows much more naturally from such a prayer. I expect my faith to be increased as a result of meditating on and acknowledging who God is. And I expect God to be pleased with such prayers.... that begin and end with Him. You are holy..... In Your Name.....
The Alpha & the Omega, the Beginning, and the End. Of everything-- even my prayer.
Exactly! :) First of all, when we recognize who it is we're coming before, it becomes so much easier to pray for His will over ours! Secondly, when we understand the nature of the One who is holy, we will again realize the power that He holds. This should inspire a surety and a confidence that if what we're praying for is His will than He can/will do it!
ReplyDeleteReally liked you pointing out that it's not just beginning but closing that is important! :) So true!