In a world where we’re inundated with media, people, stress, and work from the moment we wake up, God has a better beginning to every day in store for us if we’ll follow him.
We know that God desires a relationship with us. He wants to be close to us. Then why does it feel at times that he’s so far away? As we continue our week on humility, let’s explore how humility is essential in having a close relationship with our heavenly Father.
Isaiah 57:15 ESV
My first job at a church was as a youth minister. I soon discovered that my job included doing things no other staff members wanted to do. One of them involved putting letters on the church sign each week to post whatever saying our pastor chose.
One week I posted “If you don’t feel close to God, guess who moved.” It’s been many years, but these words stayed with me.
You and I were made for an intimate relationship with our Maker that nothing else in creation can experience. Genesis 1:26–27 lets us know that we alone are made in God’s image and likeness, which enables us to connect with God as children with their father. He gave us free will so we could choose to worship him.
Most of all, his Son died for us, a fact that does not even apply to the angels, much less to the rest of creation. God does not love us because we are lovable but because “God is love,” as we read in 1 John 4:8. He cannot not love us. He longs for personal, intimate communion with us in this life and the next.
For example, Scripture assures us in Zephaniah 3:17 that our Lord “will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” The psalmist declared in Psalm 149:4, “The Lᴏʀᴅ takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.”
Why, then, do so many of us struggle to experience his transforming presence? Why can our worship become so formal and routine? Why does studying the Bible and praying sometimes feel like a chore? Why does the thought of worshiping God for eternity in heaven feel less than exciting?
Here’s one possible answer: connecting with God requires humility.
Our Lord promises in Isaiah 57:15 that he not only dwells “in the high and holy place,” but he also dwells “with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit.” When we choose a spirit of humility, he will “revive the spirit of the lowly” and “revive the heart of the contrite.”
Why is humility necessary for God to move?
As we have seen this week, God can give only what we will receive. But we won’t receive what we don't believe we need. If you have a new car, you’re probably not shopping for another one. If you’ve just moved into your home, you’re probably not in the housing market.
When we recognize how much we need what only God can do, we will pray for what we need and experience all that his grace desires to give.
Your attitude toward a dentist’s appointment will likely be different if you are going for a routine checkup or if you have an aching tooth. After I was diagnosed with skin cancer a few years ago, my visits to the dermatologist became much more urgent.
If you’re not experiencing God’s transforming presence on a regular basis, ask yourself whether or not you feel like you really need him. Ask him to help you identify things in your heart and life that may be keeping him at bay and seek his help in removing any roadblocks to his presence today as we enter a time of guided prayer.
today’s devotional is written by Jim Denison
1. When was the last time that worship, reading the Bible, or praying changed your life in some way? Did you encounter God in a genuine, transforming way last Sunday in worship? In your devotional time today?
“This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word” (Isaiah 66:2).
2. Ask the Lord for a vision of how experiencing his presence could be transforming for you. Imagine yourself before his throne in worship. Picture him in his glory and bow before his holiness, rejoicing in his nearness and grace.
“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!” (Psalm 95:6).
3. Tell God how much you need his presence in this moment and throughout the day. Ask to be aware of his presence wherever you go today.
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
Choose to stay in God’s holy presence as you step into your day.
Brother Lawrence noted that you can “practice the presence of God” if you follow the wisdom of 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18: “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; give thanks in all circumstances.” God is omnipresent; he isn’t limited to this space. You can experience him in his heavenly glory wherever and whenever you turn your heart to him in worship and prayer today.
And would you invite others to join you? As you do, see yourself and others in the light of God’s majesty. You will be empowered to love your Lord and your neighbor as your humble response of gratitude to such a gracious and powerful Father.
Extended reading: Psalm 139
You can experience him in his heavenly glory wherever and whenever you turn your heart to him in worship and prayer today.
