Soli Deo Gloria!Let us just remind ourselves that surely the purpose of the biblical revelation of God’s holiness is to teach us how to approach Him. It is not mere theoretical knowledge that we are asked to try to grasp with our understandings. Its purpose is very practical. In the words of the author of the epistle to the Hebrews, we are to approach God ‘with reverence and godly fear’ (Heb. 12:28). He is always to be approached in that way, wherever you are; when you are alone in a room, or when you are meeting as a family to pray, or when you are in a public service, God is always God and He is always to be approached ‘with reverence and godly fear’. No such expression as ‘Dear God’, for example, is to be found in the Scriptures.*
For His Glory,
Fernando
*Lloyd-Jones, D. M. (1996). God the Father, God the Son (71). Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books.
Pastor,
ReplyDeleteI think that the best words that we can offer to God are His Words. Prayer should emulate the manner in which God speaks to us. Some think that prepared prayer, e.g., elders and men meditating and putting pen to paper for presentation to God as represenatatives of the congregation is somehow less meaningful, spirit-filled or sincere than something offered extemporaneously. I would proffer the premise that a well disciplined military unit wheeling in precision to face and perform an immediate action drill is not insincere or unmeaningful, and is very spirited. That is the underlying reality of the discipline of repetitive, correct practice.
Bother, I'm with you on that. In fact I've been pondering that more and more these days. I would also add the reciting of the Shema was no less of the Spirit because it was memorized and not extemporaneous.
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