What We Lose When We Focus on God as a Personal God

One Monday morning I felt all the Monday-Feelings.

I woke up and drank from the same coffee cup. I got their lunches ready, like I do every Monday morning. I ate a boring breakfast, and fixed cereal again for the kids. We got in the car and we drove the same road we’ve driven every morning for the entire school year.

How I do keep going, when life is so boring? How do I find excitement each afternoon, trying to stay awake with coffee and chocolate? It is so hard and this world will tell you all kinds of things. It will tell me to get a job. A hobby. Get out and do more. Buy more. Watch more.

As I’ve been reading the Psalms in 2017, I’ve started trying to write down and make notes of the overall theme I see in the entire book of the Bible. Each chapter is unuqie, and with various authors it would seem a little disjointed. However, one theme has emerged theses past few weeks, and I think its because its something God wants to teach me.

Living in awe is key. Fear the Lord, the Bible commands. Fear Him. Every since I was little I felt as if that word meant something like a reverence. A respect. And it does, but recently I’ve come to realize it also means awe. A sense of wonderment an excitement. In the psalms, the authors repeat this theme of “awe” over and over again. Listen to some of these words. Read them aloud and you will hear the awe in their voices.

But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.. I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. Psalm 3:3-34

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Psalm 8:1

The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:9-10

The LORD also thundered in heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice. Psalm 18:13

Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory! Psalm 24:10

The LORD of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge. Psalm 46:7

What name for God do you see in all of these passages? LORD. When the name Lord is all caps, it is the Hebrew name Yahweh or Jehovah. It is God’s personal name. It is the name of God for the people of Israel especially. For us, it is a reminder that God is a personal God. And that makes our hearts feel so good, and sometimes I really need to remember God is personal. He hears me. He sees me. He cares for me.

Sometimes we lose our sense of awe when we focus on God as “personal.”

Sometimes we lose our sense of awe when we focus on God as “personal.”

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When we think of God as a personal God, we forgot what makes Him GOD. What makes Him great, mighty, and awesome is sometimes needed. Especially on the days when life is just plugging along. I have the same to-do’s as yesterday, but my GOD is bigger than my ordinary.

So how do I live everyday in the ordinary with a sense of awe?

The three P’s of finding awe in the ordinary are…

1. Prayer. Constant communion with God reminds me that He is there. He is on His throne. Sometimes I will stop and pray. Engaging in prayer all day long reminds me of His throne. We approach that throne of grace every time we lift our hearts to him in prayer. Paul encourages us to “pray without ceasing” – meaning to always be in an attitude of prayer. Prayer allows us to maintain a sense of awe.

2. Praise. Worship will almost always bring us back to a place of awe. Listing all of God’s characteristics will keep His glory right in front of us.

3. Presence. Reflecting on God’s presence is completely and 100% humbling. I am so thankful for God’s presence in my life, but I can’t let his personal presence numb me to the fact of His awesomeness. I can think of His presence as a gift, an awe-inspiring gift to have the Holy Spirit inside me. Dwelling on HIM.

Of course, Bible study and Bible reading is the perfect way. If you are interested, I’ve developed a reading plan designed to help focus your mind on finding everyday awe. Check it out below!

Summer of Psalm Reading Plan – available NOW! #summerofpsalms

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