Days of Awe - Day 9

Days of Awe - Day 9

Heavenly Father, with broken and contrite spirit I come before You, not out of shame but out of a reverence and need of You. I already thought I knew of the weakness of my flesh and that of mankind but these past nine days seems to have taken that deeper. I/we, as Christians, have come so far from the early church and we are so in need of Your Spirit to right us again, to revive, restore and draw us back in reverential awe of who You are and who we are not apart from Christ. Lord, please forgive us of our prideful and wrongful ways, in Jesus' name I pray.

Holy One, as I was sitting outside and looking at the sky, seeing its pristine blue and clearness, I was touched by the beauty of Your creation and drawn back to a simpler day, a day of my youth when clear skies were seen often. Then I looked to my left, and I could see the formation of what looks like clouds caused by man and it was understood by me that what we often see as advancement in technology and such is not always what we think it is. Unless it is rendered under Your hand, it can bring more harm than . I also think there was something prophetic in the fact that it was coming from the left, but I will leave that statement there for now.

God, we have veered so far from You and that which Jesus taught us that it is sad to me. Yes, there is still a remnant that strives to walk in Your ways, by Your Spirit, and I/we pray for those numbers to increase, for Your glory. Many of us recognize that we have a way to go and I am counted in that number. Just looking at these two commandments Jesus gave us is a wake-up call. I/we could meditate for days on whether we love You with all our hearts, souls and minds and recognize that we are not yet sold out for you. And, do we love our neighbors as ourselves? If we considered how much we loved ourselves as the starting point to how we loved others, we might be shocked at the self-loathing, shame, regret, etc., that fills our beings. That's not a good way to love others and if we're honest, that is exactly how we do. Lord, please help us to know and understand how much You love us and how You have taken our sins and thrown them from as far the east is to the west, never to meet. Your love is cleansing, it is freeing, it is magnificent! It is not You who condemn us but the enemy who speaks into our ear. Remind us that he is a liar and the father of lies. You have called us Your masterpiece, fearfully and wonderfully made. It is from this place of knowing who we are and how much we are loved by You, fellowshipping with You, that we can truly love others as we know we are loved. How humbling this truth is, how life giving it is. I/we bow before You, humbled and in awe, asking for Your forgiveness and Your guidance now and in the days ahead, in Jesus' matchless name. Amen.