Exhortation Station

During a discussion around a campfire last Shabbat, something was said that made an impression on me. It got me reflecting on a shift of mindset that I think is needful in my own life. I will do my best to capture what has been stirring in my thoughts this week. Let’s begin with the opening lines of the Lord’s Prayer:

Matthew 6:9,10
“Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

In the pattern for prayer set forth by Yeshua, notice the emphasis of the opening sentences: Our Father, Yahweh — His name, His holiness, His kingdom, His will.

I have a tendency to concentrate my thoughts and prayers on my immediate context — my struggles, my gifts, my blessings, my vision for ministry, and all those areas of my life where I want to see Yah’s hand at work. Can you relate? These are good things to bring before the Father, but in turning our attention inward, we can easily miss the whole point. In our efforts to serve Him, we can become so attached to the efforts themselves that we unwittingly divert our eyes from the Master. Without realizing it, we come to see Yahweh as one who plays a role in our story, when we ought instead to regard ourselves as characters in His. Written through His unfathomable wisdom, the story which He authored begins before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20). It beckons us to fall before Him, lay down our crowns (Revelation 4:10), and lift our eyes to the One who is at the center of it all. The subject is not us, but Him. Oh, how small we are by comparison! Amazingly, Yahweh has invited us to participate. But it is still His orchestration, and His purposes are infinitely higher than ours.

Isaiah 55:8,9
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares YHWH. ⁹ “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Psalm 33:10,11
¹⁰ YHWH nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. ¹¹ The counsel of YHWH stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation.

Isaiah 25:1
O YHWH, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; for You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.

Shifting our mentality away from us and toward Him affects how we read Scripture. In a well-meaning attempt to make every verse applicable to our lives, I think we sometimes read a passage and distort it slightly to fit a modern context or personal struggle. But what if not every verse is meant to address our particular issues? Could it be that many sections of Scripture are intended primarily to inspire within us a deep reverence for and awe of Him?

Psalm 33:6-9
By the word of YHWH the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host. ⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deeps in storehouses. ⁸ Let all the earth fear YHWH; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. ⁹ For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.

When was the last time you read a passage of Scripture and stood amazed before the mighty deeds of Yah — the splitting of the Red Sea, David and Goliath, Daniel and the lion’s den, or the creation of the universe from nothing? When was the last time you marveled at the beauty of Yah’s redemptive plan for mankind through Yeshua Messiah, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2)? When was the last time you woke up and began your day with the thought, “My Father in Heaven, righteous and worthy are You to receive all glory and honor and praise” — no strings attached?

None of this is to say Yahweh is apathetic toward our personal struggles, hopes, and desires. Down to the very hairs of our head (Matthew 10:29-31), the Father cares for us. The question is, who is the center of our attention? When we come before the throne of God in prayer, do we take time to worship and adore Him, or do we jump right into all the things we want Him to do for us? Have we subconsciously assigned the Creator of the universe to a supporting role, or do we recognize our place as “aliens and sojourners” with Him (Leviticus 25:23)?

When we worship, what are we trying to accomplish? I’ve noticed we have a tendency to measure the success of our worship by the emotional experience we derive from it. But what if it’s not about us? Maybe it’s less about our worship experience and more about Him being worshipped. That’s not to say emotions are bad, meaningless, or a thing to be suppressed. God created us with the ability to feel joy and gladness in the right context. When we feel a deep sense of fullness, conviction, and closeness to God in our worship, we can thank our Father for this wonderful gift. But when we feel dry inside, we need not jump to the conclusion that our worship has failed. If we have set our minds to exalt the name of Yahweh, then He is glorified, and that is what matters.

In conclusion, to Yahweh belongs all the glory and dominion forever and ever (Revelation 1:6). We can become depressed when we look at everything that is broken, messy, and perplexing in our lives. There is a freedom in recognizing we are not the central figure in the story of reality. What we must do is point to Him. His majesty, His sovereignty, His kingdom. Oh, how good and worthy of worship is He!

1 Chronicles 29:11-13
Yours, O YHWH, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O YHWH, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. ¹² Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. ¹³ Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.

(All Bible passages NASB 1995; Hebrew transl. added.)