A Posture Of Reverence - Part 2

Do you find that frustration creeps in when you pray? Many give up on seeking God when they do not receive what they were expecting. Their posture and perception of God resemble that of a "cosmic Santa Claus"—a mystical being who grants their every request simply because they ask.

But God is not Santa—He is God, and He ought to be feared. Though He is a fearful God, He has graciously invited us to seek Him. He is both a terror and good! Yet, do not mistake His goodness for weakness. Remember who He is.

Think of how parents play and laugh with their children, yet when a child crosses the boundary of respect, they are disciplined. God is no different. Be mindful of how you approach Him. Come before Him with the understanding that He owes you nothing, yet in His goodness, He is willing to hear and answer your requests—if they align with His will.

A key indicator of whether or not you have lost reverence for God is your emotional response during prayer—especially when He doesn’t answer the way you had hoped.

I remember a time when I fervently sought the Lord for the gift of discernment. I prayed long and hard, not realizing that He had already given me the gift. I had a sharp ability to recognize what was of God and what wasn’t, applying that wisdom in ministry and counsel. But in my ignorance, I didn’t recognize His answer.

I felt ignored and fell into despair. My heart cried out, “Look, I have diligently sought You, but You haven’t answered!” I felt as if God was unfair, and I began to distrust His Word. As a result, I stopped praying the way I once did and fasted less frequently. Hope deferred had made my heart sick (Proverbs 13:12), and my zeal for seeking God diminished.

Looking back, that response revealed my irreverence. I had forgotten my place as a son of God. What if it was not His will to give me discernment, was that the response He was worthy of? Instead of seeking His will, I sought to impose mine. My prayers weren’t requests—instead, I demanded that God do exactly what I wanted. I never stopped to ask for His perspective or to let Him guide my desires. I was so fixated on what I wanted, that when I didn’t get my way, I blamed Him.

But God is not mocked! He is God. If I had approached Him in reverence, I would have recognized that His will is final and perfect. When we pray, we must remember that our prayers are requests, not demands.

Throughout history, God has been a mystery. His thoughts were beyond comprehension, and none could fully understand Him. But in these times, He has given us His Spirit so that we might freely know the things of God. He no longer wants to be a mystery—He invites us to seek Him and discover all we can possibly know about Him.

However, we must seek Him on His terms, remembering that His name is hallowed. Any goodness we receive is because He is good.

Let us not approach God as spoiled children, making demands, and throwing tantrums when we don’t get our way. Instead, let us approach Him with obedience and humility. Let us be wise enough to allow Him to lead us in our seeking, pliable enough to accept His rebuke, and humble enough to receive His “No.”

We can rejoice, knowing that even the “Noes” of God are working together for our good.