Dear Readers: We have had many requests to revisit this 31-day series originally posted in January, 2017. We pray you develop a fresh hunger and thirst for God, a passion to pursue Him will be awakened, and a deeper revelation received. Our hope is that a profound awe and reverence for Him will be cultivated within you. ~ Editor, Walk His Way

 “And He… has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;” Acts 17:26b-27

 Relentless Pursuit

Cultivating Awe and Reverence for God, Day 2

Walk his Way revisited —First posted in January, 2017

How do we choose our friends? In early childhood, pretty much anybody who would play with us was our friend. We could invite almost anyone over to our house after school and have fun. In junior high, it became more of a matter of acceptance—whoever thought we were cool, or whoever we thought was cool, or whoever wouldn’t cause us embarrassment—these were the people we would “hang out” with. In high school, we began to befriend people who liked and disliked the same things as we did, or who were involved in the same activities. As adults, sadly, we sometimes have superficial relationships with those who can give us what we lack within ourselves, but our best friends are often those with whom we share a history (family members in particular) or whose personality and belief is very similar to ours.

Surely no relationship was ever more unequal than the one we have with Christ. To know Him in all His glory, worth, and beauty is outside our grasp. He is so high above, so “other” than ourselves, it is difficult to imagine Him wanting to “hang out” with us.

If we are not in absolute wonder at His call to “Come, follow Me,” then perhaps we have not grasped the sense of awe and reverence for Him that will reside deep within us when we realize His majesty. Awe silences us in mid-worship because we suddenly know our words are not enough—they are puny and inadequate to declare the worth of the Almighty Sovereign.

As I write this, I am dumbfounded by the Presence of God—stuck in my chair because I am unwilling to move for fear of disturbing the peace and deep certainty that He is here.

Awe and reverence for God has changed my life. Oh, no, I am far from perfect, I am no super-saint, I am not more spiritual than anyone else, and I haven’t found a secret that no one else knows. In fact, as I go along in my quest to know Him more, I have come across a great number of writings and teachings on this very topic by scholars and others more spiritually savvy and experienced than I. The Spirit has cultivated this awe of God in me, but for a long time, God’s majesty did not move me. Knowing God to the point of reverencing Him in all His fullness was not on my radar.

But we CAN pursue Him, and He wants us to. If you’re not sure about this, re-read today’s verse.

For each of you, and for myself, I pray for a spark that fans into flame and then a forest fire that eats up all else that would compete for our affection, all that would take away this good seed that is being planted, and all that would cause us to stumble and fall. I pray that this fire would cause passion and relentless pursuit of our Father.

“Oh Lord, only by Your Spirit can we know You like this. So be it. Amen.”