Hebrews 6:19

Hebrews 6:19 "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast...."

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Adoration: Remembering Who God Is

I met with some ladies from my church this past Monday evening for some time of devotion and prayer. We went around to a few separate centres to focus on the ACTS guideline of prayer (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication).  They were all incredible but the one that has captivated me the most was ADORATION.  The idea was to concentrate on the character of God, write them down on sticky notes; without repeating the same quality and/or characteristic.  This was the last table my group visited, so as you can imagine it was a little more difficult as all the 'regular' or more common ones had already been placed on the poster.  As I went through the notes, I began to feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude as our group strove to find those qualities of our God that were not on there.  And being last; meant digging deeper. One lady sifted through the Psalms, I looked on my Bible Cover which had a number of the names of God inscribed on it, and we all thought longer and harder about this amazing God, who truly loves His people. He is just, courageous, loving, the beginning, the end, holy, our comfort, salvation, hiding place, refuge, friend, anchor, rock, cornerstone, helper, deliverer, shield, jealous, perfect, awesome God; just to name a few.  :) There is one that stood out for me though.  One of the ladies shared the word: NEAR.  She was reluctant at first as she wrote it but as soon as she said it my spirit resounded with it and I am so pleased she shared it; for the word has remained with me since.    Perhaps, it's where I am at right now in my walk.  But the fact that God is near, that He cares and listens has brought me more fully to my knees these past couple days.

My word for the year is PRAYER.  Last year it was HOPE.  God gave me a passage to cling to last year and build on (Hebrews 6:17-20).  Likewise this year He gave me a verse from the Psalms to build upon: Psalm 116:2 "Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!" NLT.  I love the imagery this verse creates:  "Because He BENDS DOWN to LISTEN", He comes NEAR to me.  And then: to pray as long as I have breath!   Indeed.

Prayer, it encompasses the day.  From the early of the morning when all is still and I quiet my soul, to the times of confession and sorrow, for the plea of help, for the heart full of adoration and thanksgiving, the whispered prayers for a friend, to the corporate calling out of the saints.  It's that communion that never ceases, where you can be real and vulnerable to the maker and lover of your soul.

Monday evening with this group of women was an encouragement.  I took a picture of the poster, of the qualities that we all worked to remember and embrace.  And I know that God is near, as we pray and seek Him together.


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