That's No Genie In A Bottle...

I've wrestled with the notion that I'm about to bring up - not because I have any conscious tendency to espouse it, but because the very attitude that it conveys presents the tempting opportunity to offend me. It tempts me because I have a jealousy for, and a reverence for my greatest love. At the same time, in bringing it up, I fear that there may be some who are offended by my pointing it out. Offense in all honesty is truly not my purpose. My true purpose is to call attention to something of supreme importance out of love and concern - to sharpen those to whom it may still apply - sharpening I once needed myself.

I'll let a brother in Christ who's now waiting, resting peacefully in grace, set the table...

"The prevailing idea seems to be, that I come to God and ask Him for something that I want, and that I expect Him to give me that which I have asked. But this is a most dishonouring and degrading conception. The popular belief reduces God to a servant, our servant: doing our bidding, performing our pleasure, granting our desires. No, prayer is a coming to God, telling Him my need, committing my way unto the Lord, and leaving Him to deal with it as seemeth Him best."
Arthur Pink (1886-1952),  from "The Sovereignty of God", first published in 1918.

It's obvious that there are some in the world who have a tendency in the casualness of their spirit, to approach the Holiest and Omnipotent, All Mighty God as though He were the invisible embodiment of a benevolent genie in a magic lamp or bottle and I try not to bristle overtly at that lack of respect for Him. I personally have absolutely no doubt that if it were not for His unimaginable patience with us, He would have struck many of us down, myself most certainly long before now - If not for the litany of our other sins, then for our lack of holy fear, humility and passionate gratitude for what we've already received. 

There are some who approach Him consumed only with the weight of their own desires, forgetting the absolute holiness, righteousness, omniscience and terrifying power of the authority they are approaching. Also forgetting that His wisdom and righteousness are perfect and that His all-knowing plans far exceed anything we might scheme. His will is always the perfect answer in response to our need, but requires a willingness to trust to surrender our own. Inviting His will into our lives, into every situation and into our very selves is the invitation to an answer of complete perfection that far supersedes anything that our own limitations might allow us to request.

Yes! - We are loved dearly and are continually protected, nurtured and blessed. But who is our great benefactor?  Is He not the very one who by the mere breath escaping from His lips brought the massive stars that form the multitude of lights in the night sky into being? It is He who holds everything in the heavens in place and He who invented the intricacies that exist to sustain everything we know in nature by His own law and power. Is He, or is He not? He's told us this. Would we dare to call Him a liar? 

It was our God who shaped the formless earth and brought all things into being. It is He who holds the power of life and death in His hands - OUR life or death. It is He who makes provision for us continually and holds prosperity for us in one hand and our destitution in the other. We are wholly and continually dependent on His will every minute of every day even for the simple beating of our hearts and the breath in our lungs. We are nothing by comparison to Him. OUR REVERENCE AND RESPECT FOR WHO HE IS IS NOT OPTIONAL, even given His great love for us. Scripture has many examples of people who have lost the holy fear of the Lord and have reaped the consequence. Even Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, members of the congregation of believers in the early church suffered a heavy penalty for their disrespect - they dropped dead. It was satan's lack of reverence and respect for God and his own self absorption that got him the sovereign boot and put an inescapable sentence on his head. 

We'd do well to remember continually who we live for and who it is that we approach when we seek His audience. We were created in His image, but are in no way His equal. As His children we have His ear, but should always remember to take the time to enthrone Him in true praise, reminding ourselves at the same time in doing so, who it is that we intend to address - putting Him in His true and proper place and ourselves in our own, far beneath Him. We can approach Him boldly because of His awesome grace and affection for us, but we dare not forget the immense wealth and power of who He truly is. He doesn't desire that His children be reduced to trembling, pitiful beggars, but He does require our love, honor, obedience and respect.

Even though we live under the New Covenant of grace that Father God has made with us, the Author of the New Testament book of Hebrews, living under that same covenant, took care to remind us of the importance of remembering who our God is...

Hebrews 12:18-29 (NLT) 
18 "You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. 19 For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. 20 They staggered back under God’s command: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” 21 Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, “I am terrified and trembling.”

22 "No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. 23 You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. 24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.

25 Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! 26 When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” 27 This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.

28 Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. 29 For our God is a devouring fire."
(emphasis mine)

There's no genie in a bottle waiting to hear your request, but our far greater, loving Heavenly Father, The Lion of Judah with lightening flashing in His eyes, anxious to bring perfection to your need. 

One day, we will all see Him in His glory...

Ezekiel 1:26-28 (NLT)
26 "Above this surface was something that looked like a throne made of blue lapis lazuli. And on this throne high above was a figure whose appearance resembled a man. 27 From what appeared to be his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor. 28 All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the LORD looked like to me. When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me".


Lord, help me to always remember to humble myself before you and to remember my place in your omnipresence...