Feeding The Roots Of Reverence
As we continue to examine our Lord’s teaching on prayer and consider how we approach God, we must meditate on God’s attributes found in His word. The truth of scripture prompts our minds and hearts to regard him rightly, placing us under the weight of who He is. As one approaches God in prayer, a soul comes face to face with the holiness of God. Meditating on His attributes found in the scripture will cultivate a soul that hallows, moving the heart to surrender in recognition of His glory.
“The truth of Scripture prompts our minds and hearts to regard Him rightly, placing us under the weight of who He is.”
Pastor Jeth’s focus on the Lord’s teaching on prayer and our own consideration of how we approach God stirred my mind to focus on the word cultivate. My family and I began fixing up our backyard to prepare for the coming spring. Because His timing is perfect, the irony was not lost on me that everything we were doing somehow connected our hard work in the yard with how our Lord taught us to pray.
If you have ever worked in the yard, you know that it is not for the faint of heart, or eight year old girls who quickly lose motivation and would rather play fairy garden. Cultivating the ground for planting requires several physically taxing steps to foster a soil that encourages growth.
Experts seem to agree that pulling weeds is necessary for a healthy garden. The weeds that seem to sprout so easily in all types of soil will compete for water, sunlight, and nutrients needed by other cultivated plants. If you’re like me, you would prefer to avoid this task altogether because it’s difficult, tedious work and just skip ahead to the good part: a flowerbed so picturesque it’s featured on the cover of Good Housekeeping.
“What should I weed out of my life that has distracted me from spending time with the Lord? What is competing for my attention?”
Our prayer life can be the same. We want to skip ahead to what we think is the good part: what can I get out of this? We casually approach God before meals or bedtime, make our requests, and hope for the best. Imagine how our relationship with God would grow if instead we asked, what should I weed out of my life that has distracted me from spending time with the Lord? What is competing for my attention?
Tilling breaks up the soil by aerating it, allowing room for roots to establish. Skipping this crucial step and jumping straight into scattering seeds on the packed earth will leave a gardner with frail plants that can’t take root, quickly wilting in the sun.
Similarly, rushing into prayer without preparing our hearts can lead to dead, lifeless prayers of obligation and practiced words which wither and don’t take root. We cannot come face to face with the holiness of God in prayer without first cultivating our soul. We must roll up our sleeves and till our hearts with scripture to allow that truth to take root. Knowing who God is will prompt our heart to surrender in recognition of His glory.
Cultivating the ground requires patience, consistency, watering, and sunlight. Seeds won’t grow overnight or without proper attention. Our hearts are the same. Learning how to approach God will take patience and practice. Consistency of time spent in God’s word and watering our hearts with the truth of scripture will place us, as Pastor Jeth so poignantly put it, under the weight of who He is. I won’t use the “son”light metaphor here, but feel free to use it with your kids- they love puns.
Cultivating the ground for planting is not an easy task, but if done correctly, it will result in something beautiful that benefits more than just the gardener. Following the Lord’s plan for prayer by cultivating our hearts to approach him in a posture of reverence and awe will likewise lead to something beautiful that benefits ourselves, our families, and our church.
Sometimes, the hardest part is getting started. As a novice gardener, my first thought was, where do I even begin? Blogs and videos from experts who have tried it all are a great place to start with gardening. In the same way, going directly to the source is where we should start in prayer. The Lord gives us His plan for prayer and the gift of His word to pray back to Him, all while reminding us of who He is. Referencing Pastor Jeth’s list of God’s attributes from scripture, you can pray using the following examples to help you approach God rightly as you cultivate a soul that hallows.
Holiness
Heavenly Father,
We come before your throne in reverence and thanksgiving, knowing that there is none holy like you (1 Samuel 2:2). Help us to be holy, for You are holy (Leviticus 11:45).
Justice and Righteousness
Heavenly Father,
We humble ourselves before you, the Lord who loves justice (Isaiah 61:8), the throne of whose foundation is righteousness and justice (Psalm 89:14). Help us to not boast in ourselves, but only boast in understanding and knowing you, the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth (Jeremiah 9:24).
Greatness and Power
Heavenly Father,
Hallowed be your name, Lord who is majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders. (Exodus 15:11). We stand in awe of your greatness and power.
Mercy, and Steadfast Love
Heavenly Father,
You are good to all and your mercy covers all you have made (Psalm 145:8–9). We remind ourselves in this moment that you are merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (Psalm 86:15). We ask you to cleanse us of our sin because you are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you (Psalm 86:5).
Faithfulness and Covenant Loyalty
Heavenly Father,
We pray in thanksgiving and admiration, overwhelmed by your steadfast love that extends to the heavens and your faithfulness that stretches to the clouds (Psalm 36:5). Great is your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:23). We long to know you more, the faithful God who keeps His covenant (Deuteronomy 7:9).
Just as a gardener does not paint leaves green but feeds the roots beneath the soil, the Christian does not manufacture reverence. True reverence grows when the soul is nourished by the vision of God. When the soul sees God rightly, it will gladly hallow His name.
This post was written by covenant member Haley Murphy.