“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah 33:3
Prayer…
Conversation with God…
Power…
I have a question for you. It’s a simple question with profound implication.
What would an unbeliever learn about God if they heard your prayers to Him? Think about it. Do your prayers suggest an all-powerful, present, loving, sovereign God, or rather do they imply that He is weak, distracted, and busy with other things? Seriously, think about it.
This question has caused me to reflect on my own prayer life. Do my prayers display faith or fear? Jeremiah 33:3 serves as an important, and perhaps necessary reminder in prayer for us all:
Call out to the LORD! Be desperate for Him in your prayers. Come boldly before the throne of grace with confidence, believing that God is ready to hear your cries and to respond to them.
I remember the very first time I heard the hymn, Before the Throne. I was captivated by the lyrics. I was pulled into the presence of the Lord. My faith was propelled forward. So, I share the words with you today. There are many versions to this song. Today, I want to share with you my favorite, recorded by Shane & Shane. Download the song. Listen to it over and over. Spend some time worshiping the God of Heaven, the One who invites you to His throne and welcomes you in.
Before the Throne
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea:
A great High Priest, whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart;
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart.
When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because a sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise the One,
Risen Son of God!
Behold Him there, the risen Lamb
My perfect, spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace!
One in Himself, I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God
With Christ, my Savior and my God
Isn’t our God amazing? We think of scciifrae as giving up good stuff for God when what God REALLY wants, is all the BAD stuff we try to manage on our own! We think of God as deserving our very best (and he does!) and how we lay that on the altar-our time, our giftings, our abilities as an act of worship to Him. What blows my mind is that God asks me to give him my anger, my bitterness, my selfish desires and all the things that are unholy and corrupted on that very same altar. If someone gave me a bag of cr*p I’d hardly be happy and yet our God asks for just that-our bag of cr*p!!