2010 – Day 22. Jan. 22 – Reverence with Awe

Study from Exodus 1 – 6; Passage for Reflection: Exodus 3: 5 … NIV “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

My Journal for Today: Can you just imagine what it must have been like for Moses, there observing that bush burning and coming that close to the Creator of the entire universe? And if you’re a student of the Bible, you’ve probably read that greeting from God, ”Do not come any closer,” several times. But did you ever ponder what it must’ve been like for a very curious man, one who was raised like a king but had become a shepherd, to come – all of a sudden – into the presence of the God to Whom he had prayed for many years of his life. And what a bizarre presence it was … a burning bush which was not consumed by the fire.

Here was Moses; and he was in the very presence of the God Whom he had worshipped for the last 40 years of his life; and his God was speaking to him. The scenario certainly begs the question, ”Do we come into the presence of God in reverence and awe when we spend time with Him? We are coming to the God Who is the great I AM!! But do we really experience His presence and revere His power? ” Most of the time, I think not. Right now, in my quiet place, I do sense I’m with God; but I’m afraid I don’t have the awe that I feel I should have.

And I stand as convicted here as anyone might who has let familiarity breed [well, maybe not “contempt”] … maybe something more along the lines of commonality. It’s like one coming into the possession of a painting by Rembrandt and putting it on the wall in our home. It may be worth millions; but if we don’t watch out, having it there on the wall, after a while, it will almost disappear in our lives due to familiarity. When we first hang the painting, there is a great “WOW!” factor; but after a while, it becomes a “Ho hum” presence in our lives.

And I’m afraid that is what God has become to many believers; and I don’t point any fingers of blame at others without knowing that I have three other fingers pointing right back at myself. So, I sit here this moringin, convicted by my devotional shepherd today. F. LaGard Smith has pealed away my confession that I treat my Lord with too much commonality. Oh, … I do recoil when I hear someone pray to “Papa God” or make some casual reference like, “Oh my God!” in everyday conversation. I do have an emotional knee jerk reaction when I hear someone say, “the Man upstairs;” and I recoil even more when I hear someone use the Lord’s name in vain by cussing the name of our Savior. So, maybe I’m not totally wrapped up in the familiarity syndrome of treating God too much like a friend and not enough like the Great I AM.

But I’m thankful today that Dr. Smith has helped me realize that when I get on my knees each morning right after I awaken, I have stepped onto HOLY GROUND, the ground won by my Savior when He died on that cross; and I’m praying to the very God Who delivered His people out of Egypt. Actually, I’m very much like Moses, who felt very insignificant when he was with God; and he was right to feel that way, being in God’s presence as the bush burned before him. He was right to feel very small before an infinitely big God. And we need to feel – and express – to God our awe of His presence and His power in our lives.

As He could have with Moses, God could squash us like a bug; but He doesn’t. Like He did with Moses, our Lord has a plan and a purpose for our lives; and like Moses, it behooves us to find out what that purpose is and to follow it unto completion. I pray that is the goal of anyone reading here with me today. It certainly is mine!

My Prayer for Today: Lord, I’m emotionally shoeless here in this place … on Holy Ground here this morning … spending time with You, the awesome and great I AM, … the God who created me and everything which gives me life, … the God Who saved me from my own sinfulness, … and the God Who has decided to use my insignificance for Your glory. I come to You today, desiring that all see YOU for Whom You are … our God! Amen