I sat in the middle of my house listening to a worship session wondering why I felt so distant. What was it? Was it all the distractions swirling around? Was it my family who kept yelling my name for something? Or, was it all the things on the to-do list not yet accomplished. If only I can lock away, maybe just maybe I will hear God speaking. I began to get frustrated and found myself frustrated at God for not speaking. When I finished what I can only call a tantrum, I felt the Holy Spirit say “check your posture”.
As usual I am always confused, so I went to trusty Google to see what it meant. The first thing I found was that your posture before God should be one of “surrender, humility, adoration and faith”. I was instantly convicted, because at that moment all I felt was frustrated, demanding and impatient because I needed answers. All I could do was hang my head in shame and repent.
Heart Check
The psalmist asks God in Psalms 51:10 to “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” How your heart is before God says a lot about your relationship with God. To have a posture of surrender, means that you give complete control to Him. It is His way whether you like it or not or whether you agree or not.
Humility before God is like a prerequisite or a requirement of serving God. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land”. In layman’s terms we can be humbled i.e act humble or be humbled i.e get humbled by God. Although from experience I found that sometimes one cannot be humble before God until one has been humbled by God.
To be in adoration we should be praising or blessing God. And we certainly can’t be doing that while being demanding, frustrated or throwing a tantrum. The bible tells us that we were created to worship God. That is our primary purpose for living and if you are not doing that, then you are not living in what you were created to do.
A posture of faith requires us to trust God, that no matter whatever comes our way, we will not be shaken. Faith is the cornerstone of Christianity. Hebrews 11:16 tells us “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him”
Re-Couragement
So what is your posture before God? Have you been feeling that God is distant? Have you examined your posture lately? Can you confidently say it has been one of surrender, humility, adoration and faith. If the answer is no, don’t panic, don’t hang your head in shame and certainty don’t run away from the Father. Like me, we all have access to the Father through Jesus. Humble yourself, ask for forgiveness and change your posture before God. Maybe just maybe, He is waiting on you to come humbly before Him to answer those prayers.
Be Re-Couraged in Christ!
Dionne
Wow! Powerful! It’s what we all need especially in these times we are living in to let God take full control. Just submit and trust God, watch Him work. If we are in control, then God certainly is not. Thank you for sharing as usual.
Diana Yarde
I like how you liken your re-encouragement to your everyday living. It tells me I am not alone in my feelings or in my walk with God. All of us go through a familiar situation when we surrender to God. Thank you, I do need to check my posture and humble before God.
Jan
Thanks Nicole. Lord, guide me to a posture of prayer everyday and everywhere.