Respect and Reverence
One thing that helps me grow a posture of respect and reverence is kneeling before the Lord when I pray.
Do we give God the proper respect and reverence that is due to Him every day? Throughout the day, it's quite easy to neglect God's presence in our lives. It's quite easy to forget who it is we speak to when we go into prayer. It's quite easy to ignore God's ways and live in a manner that He wouldn't approve of. Respecting God appropriately each and every day is actually hard to do. But it's vital. It's the first step towards wisdom. The book of Proverbs gives us these words regarding the connection between reverence and wisdom: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Prov. 1:7 ESV). If I want knowledge and wisdom in my life, I must first start by fearing the Lord—respecting God for who He is. I can't attain godly wisdom if I don’t respect God enough and respect what He has to say.
Jesus, God the Son, serves as an example of a person who deeply respected and revered God the Father. And this reverence was clearly demonstrated in His prayer life. The book of Hebrews has this to say about Jesus' prayer life: "In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence" (Heb. 5:7 ESV). Jesus was obviously a prayerful person who constantly engaged in this spiritual practice while He was on earth. And He did so with the utmost love and seriousness—"with loud cries and tears." The author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus' prayers were “heard” by God the Father. Why? The author of Hebrews explains: "Because of his reverence" (Heb. 5:7 ESV). Jesus had the utmost respect and reverence for God the Father. And this posture of respect and reverence contributed to God the Father hearing the prayers of God the Son.
Do we deeply respect and revere God in our lives? Let us examine ourselves to see if we have a posture of respect and reverence when we come to God in our own times of prayer. Do we truly acknowledge God for who He is and pray and behave accordingly?
One thing that helps me grow a posture of respect and reverence is kneeling before the Lord when I pray. Although reverence is always a matter of the heart (you can kneel but be irreverent in your heart or you can be utterly respectful without kneeling), the act of kneeling gives me a chance to grow a posture of respect in my heart. If you're wanting to develop a deeper respect and reverence for God, try kneeling during your times of prayer just to begin a humble transformation in your heart that will go a long way in your relationship with God.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
