Message
Whenever I am in God’s presence, I behave like a child because I recognise that I am just a baby in need of His love, comfort, mercy, and help. In , Jesus told the story of two men who went into the temple to pray. One boasted about his achievements before God but was not justified. However, the other man who went humbly before God and acknowledged his helplessness was justified. In today’s world, many people approach God as ‘great people of faith’. However, this is why they pray for so long without getting responses from God.
When God described the dimensions of the mercy seat in the ark of the covenant to Moses in , He specified that its length was to be 2.5 cubits and its breadth was to be 1.5 cubits. Interestingly, God didn’t specify a height. This means that the mercy seat isn’t something to sit on but something to lie upon. Those who will receive God’s mercy must come in their lowest state. When you’re in God’s presence, you must be vulnerable and discuss your weaknesses, problems, feelings, and areas of confusion with Him.
There is a difference between discussing and praying. Praying is asking for assistance, while discussing is saying, “Lord, this is me. I have tried this step and that step. What do I do?” If you have this posture in prayer, He will start teaching you things others don’t know. warns us not to be wise in our own eyes. Some people ask for counsel but have already made up their minds on what to do. Such people aren’t ready to listen to any advice but are only looking to rubber-stamp their decision. People who come to God like this never get anything from Him because they act like they know more than Him. They feel too proud to lay their ideas and strategies before Him and listen to His instructions.
In today’s Bible reading, when Moses encountered God in the burning bush, the first thing God asked him to do was to take off his shoes. Beloved, your shoes represent the things that might be stopping you from being vulnerable with God, such as your knowledge and achievements. Take them off before coming to your heavenly Father. He never ignores those who are vulnerable before Him, and His mercy always finds the lowly (). I pray that God will extend His grace and help towards you as you humble yourself before Him daily, in Jesus’ name.