Limiting My Experience of God

Read: Psalm 97, 98, &99

"For You are the LORD Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods." Psalm 97:9

Examine:

This Psalmist had a experienced a big God. His God was exalted above all of the earth. Nothing in nature could over take him. Nothing on earth could come close to Him. No other god or idol created by man could compare to the greatness of his God. These were not mere thoughts but were truths of God reveled by God and experienced by the Psalmist.

Apply:

I am wondering this morning just how big my God is. I am not thinking in terms of God Himself, but my mind is being drawn toward my image of the One True God. I fear that my image of God is not true. I am afraid that my thoughts and rational mind create a box for God and I attempt to keep Him in that box. That is what makes faith so hard sometimes. My faith is not pure. My faith in God has become polluted by my own strengths and the money, resources, and wisdom of this world. I severely limit God's ability to work when I do this and consequently limit the size of the God I experience.

I am also wondering just how much of God I want to experience. The God I see revealed in the Psalms is a God who consumes every fiber of the men writing about Him. He is a God who calls on these men writing about Him to surrender everything and pursue, not their personal gain; but His righteousness. He is a God who desires those following after Him to live their lives completely abandoned of themselves and totally centered on His purpose. I am afraid that I do not always want that experience of God. Sure, when things are a mess or life is uncomfortable I seek after experiencing God in that way. When things are smooth and my heart is full, on the other hand, I tend to pursue an experience of God that allows me to benefit from the best of both God and the world.

Pray:

Something in me feels broken this morning. I am not exactly sure what is up but I do not feel right. I search for words that match my feelings but I am coming up empty handed. It reminds me of Your word that says only You can search the heart of a man and understand it. I acknowledge to You this unnamed discomfort I feel in my heart and ask that You lead me into it. Help me to know what You are trying to accomplish and align me with it.