Marvelling at the Wonder of God

 

I stumble up the stairs in desperate need of help. Falling at His feet, I gaze longingly at His face. Just as the cry starts to spill from my heart, I remember—this is the King. I must be careful with the way I approach Him. I quickly rehearse the formula in my head, being mindful not to skip a step. I have to get this right; my request is far too important.

Has this ever happened to you? Like me, do you get tripped up in your prayers because you’re convinced you need the right words or the right order of approach? No doubt this lie has kept us more than once from the sweet intimacy God offers us.

But I’m finding a better way, a living, breathing, beautiful way of drawing near to God, and surprise, surprise, it has more to do with the posture of my heart than a formula of words.

If like me you’re tired of believing the lie and you are hungry for a genuine, authentic relationship with God, then you’ll be relieved and excited about what I’m about to share.

The Five B’s of Living, Breathing, Beautiful Prayer

Sounds like a formula? Don’t worry, it isn’t. It’s more like a lifestyle. Read on and I’ll explain.

Phase one - Behold Your God!

‘Whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.’ Hebrews 11:6b (ESV)

This is foundational, yet beholding your God encompasses much more.

Consider who He is: 

“You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.” ~Nehemiah9:6 

‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.’ ~ Jeremiah 32:17

When I close my eyes and bow my head to pray in the early morning hours or shoot an arrow prayer upward during a busy or harrowing day, I pause to remind myself exactly Who I’m talking to. I fix my mind on God as revealed in His word and His world and my perspective shifts. I remember!

Sometimes, I think of His omnipresence, His outside-ness and above-ness of time and space, and it comforts me that He is with my loved ones all over the world, all at once. Or I might ponder the power-pack of His omnipotence and steadfast love, as I bow in thanksgiving that He is as good as He is powerful. Imagine if He was a powerful and wicked God? Oh, the grace that He bestows on us.

God’s Word is filled with evidence of His out-of-this-world, amazing attributes: love, merciful, long-suffering, fore-knowing, omniscient, eternal, immutable, omnipresent, omnipotent, good, infinite, incomprehensible, sovereign. (See the handy chart I’ve added for you.) I love to choose just one or two to focus on as I come before Him. With Bible in hand, I can choose to remember just who God is and praise Him for how He has revealed His character to me.

Download a copy HERE

I know that God is:  

All-powerful, that nothing is too hard for Him because I’ve seen Him work in my life and the lives of my loved ones. 

All-good, because He treats me much better than I deserve and has promised that all things will work together for my good and His glory. 

All-merciful, because He cares for my lost loved ones even more than I do and accepts me, the chief of all sinners, as His child. 

The list goes on.

When I focus on God and His revealed attributes I am awestruck by His majesty and power and humbled by His goodness and mercy.

But most of all, I am amazed that He would invite me to draw near to Him.

I mean, it’s a mystery I can even approach His throne. But thanks be to God through Jesus Christ I have been granted access. Bold, confident access! (Hebrews 4:16) I need not fear or worry, because the King of this universe desires a relationship with me, in fact, He calls me His child.

‘For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ~ Romans 8: 15

Let that sink in for a bit. God, the Creator of all things seen and unseen, has told me that I can call Him ‘Daddy’!

And it’s not just me, He offers the same to you! Doesn’t that just blow your mind? What an awesome God we serve!

So no, I don’t need to be plagued by the need for legalistic formalities. When I remember who God is and who He says I am to Him, I don’t need to hesitate. I can toss off the duty, doubts, and distractions and run right up those stairs straight into my Father’s arms.

It’s my first step in embracing living, breathing, beautiful prayer exactly as my heart longs for.

 

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What about you?

Do you sometimes wonder if you’re doing prayer right? 

Does duty interfere with your enjoyment of God? 

When was the last time you paused just to marvel at the wonder of God?

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We’ll continue with the second phase of our Five B’s of Living, Breathing, Beautiful prayer in the next blog post.  

May grace and peace be multiplied to you,

Carlie

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Marvelling at the Wonder of God