What Does God Want From Me?

“Call me ‘the Quester.’ I've been king over Israel in Jerusalem. I looked most carefully into everything, searched out all that is done on this earth. And let me tell you, there's not much to write home about. God hasn't made it easy for us. I've seen it all and it's nothing but smoke—smoke, and spitting into the wind.

Life's a corkscrew that can't be straightened,

A minus that won't add up.

I said to myself, ‘I know more and I'm wiser than anyone before me in Jerusalem. I've stockpiled wisdom and knowledge.’ What I've finally concluded is that so-called wisdom and knowledge are mindless and witless—nothing but spitting into the wind.

Much learning earns you much trouble.

The more you know, the more you hurt.”¹

But life must be more than just a quest to know, if it is to have real meaning. I thought about those of you who write about Christ, life, relationships and what it truly means to live a life that truly pleases God.

What does Christ see when He looks at me?

Am I seeking to give myself to Him or am I only seeking what I can get from Him?

I ask the Lord for something every day in prayer; without fail. I want something. I make my requests known to Him. Last night I confessed.

“Why am I asking You when You already know my thoughts Lord?”

When I pray for my son, or daughter, a relative or friend, when I pray for those who read this blog, is it then wrong to share my own personal needs before You Lord?

There is silence as I attempt to still my thoughts from running back and forth; keeping busy. My thoughts often seem to parallel Martha, who was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen when the Lord visited her home. I need silence that I might hear God speak to my spirit.

What does God say to you in the silence of your thoughts?

Often I hear the same words, time and again.

Worship Me.

Confess before Me.

How do you worship the Lord?

I looked for examples of worship in scripture and came across this tidbit:

“…you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go...”²

I thought about these words, “you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose… there for his dwelling”, and I realized that the place the Lord chose for me to worship is within me.

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”³

“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”⁴

God has put His Spirit in us so that we would walk before Him in the only way that truly pleases Him, faithfully.

But how am I to worship God?

In the Old Testament, the Israelites worshipped the Lord with burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings, but what does God really want from me?

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God.

It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of his pasture”⁵

“Do you think I feast on venison? or drink draughts of goats' blood? Spread for me a banquet of praise, serve High God a feast of kept promises...”⁶

God wants to see me filled with gladness when I come before Him joyful songs. To worship Him in a way that tells Him, “I don’t want to hold anything back from You Lord.” God takes no pleasure in the sacrifice of animals when He has offered the ultimate sacrifice: His Son, Jesus Christ. He wants me to serve Him a banquet of praises, my very own recipe. God wants me to be faithful as He Himself is faithful, by keeping my word. God is Light so there cannot be even the slightest change that would mutate the character and nature of His promises. God is saying to me: Be faithful by keeping your promise to Me.

We say, “Take my life Lord.” What do we mean by these words?

Do I want God to possess me in such a way that I’m not reserving any part of me from Him?

Have I given God access to my life which I previously kept reserved for me?

The Israelites sacrifices animals, what am I offering up to God from my life?

Do I give Him my time or am I too busy for God?

Do I give Him my talent, or am I using it to indulge myself?

Do I give Him my treasure, or is my treasure reserved for only me?

Do I realize how badly God wants what I hold on to so tightly?

It is an awesome thing to ponder the thought that, God values and wants me; all of me.

God is not satisfied with just a morsel of my life. No more than I would be satisfied with just a prayer that is proportionally answered to the degree I give myself to Him. If God divvied out His love, blessings, and grace to us the way we give ourselves to Him, would you be pleased with His effort?

God said this regarding His relationship with Abraham:

“The LORD said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do'...”⁷

God had no desire to hide from Abraham what He was about to do. I don’t believe God wants to hide from you or me what He is about to do in our life.

Do I want to know what God is going to do?

What can I learn from God when I come before Him with a heart willing to listen?

Will God respond when I: Worship Him without reservation Serve Him a banquet recipe of my sincere praise Confess my life before Him openly Honor my promises to Him faithfully Demolish the walls that hinder me hearing Him

I believe He will respond.

I can never meet the extent of God’s response to me, but I will never cease my effort to extend myself more and more towards Him.

Father God,

You are The Awesome God, the great I AM! It is You alone that I worship, You alone that I praise and You alone that I adore. How faithful You are to me! I want to prepare myself for You as a banquet of praise. You are too great for the few words I have to extol You. Someone once said, "What a wonder You Are!" How true these words echo in my thoughts. Your love and peace flood me beyond measure. I confess my sins that I may stand before You in reverence and adoration. Through Your Son, Jesus Chirst, there is no longer a wall of partition beween You and me. Thank You Lord Jesus for tearing it down and establishing peace with God on my behalf. No one could have done this but You Lord Jesus. I want to be faithful Lord, that I may stand in Your presence and hear what You're going to do. Heal those who cry out in anguish. Give favor and blessings to those who've lost job, career, home or family, but cling to a hope that You will respond. Move forth by the power of Your Spirit and reveal Yourself as The Sovereign Lord. Amen.

Note: Several months ago, a blogger friend suggested I visit Charlotte and Ginger who host the blog Spiritual Sundays, and that I should link in with fellow bloggers who share encouraging and inspirational posts.

I believe you will find hearts ablaze with faith, love, compassion, kindness, humility, and fellowship in Christ. I encourage you to visit. You won't be disappointed.

Footnotes:

1. Ecclesiastes 1:13-18, The Message Bible
2. Deuteronomy 12:4-5, NIV
3. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NASB
4. Ezekiel 36:27, NASB
5. Psalm 100:1-3, NIV
6. Psalm 50:13-14, The Message Bible
7. Genesis 18:17, NASB

References:

1. The Ryrie Study Bible (New American Standard Version), Edited by Charles C. Ryrie, Moody Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, ISBN 0-8024-8920-6
2. The Amplified Bible, by The Lockman Foundation, Zondervan Bible Publishers, Grand Rapids, Michigan, ISBN-13: 978-0310951414
3. King James Version, The Crusade Analytical Study Edition, Crusade Bible Publishers, Inc., PO Box 90011, Nashville, Tennessee 37209
4. The Message Bible, by Eugene H. Peterson, NavPress Publishing Group, Colorado Springs, CO, ISBN-13: 978-1600060250
5. New King James Version, by Nelson Bibles, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc., PO Box 141000, Nashville, Tennessee, ISBN-13: 978-0840713704
6. The NIV Study Bible, Edited by Kenneth Barker, Donald Burdick, John Stek, Walter Wessel and Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530, USA
7. The New Living Translation Bible, by Tyndale Charitable Trust, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois, ISBN-13: 978-0842384896

Tearing Down Those Other gods

Lil,

I just want to express my thanks for showing me something about myself that should have been so obvious and yet I was too blind to see. I love you so very much.


Yesterday I was reading through 2^nd Kings and I reached a conscious point where I thought to myself that, what I was reading was just more redundant writing which was used to describe the previous king of Judah or Israel. Just more of, and _________ did evil in the eyes of the Lord.

“Now it came about in the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king…And he did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done. He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah…He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel…So Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and Manasseh his son became king in his place…And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah…”¹

I think I’d become a little bored reading about the lives of leaders who did not value their relationship with God. Men, who time and time again found reasons to erect images of idols, practice the worship of images and even engage in human sacrifice. I reached the point where I just wanted to be done with the books of Kings 1 and 2. It was then that the Holy Spirit spoke to me about one particular idol that frequently gets mentioned. I became fascinated with the preoccupation each idol worshipping king seemed to have with the Asherah poles.

What was it that endeared the men to erect this image time and time again, particularly in the case of the kings of Judah when their fathers tore down the image?

Did they not learn anything from the godly fathers who preceded them?

Did they not learn any truths from the ungodly fathers who preceded them?

Two kings in particular, Hezekiah and Josiah were both godly kings who honored God and yet when they died, their sons reinstituted the worship of false gods; particularly Asherah.

I wondered what these Asherah poles did that actually enhanced the lives of those who worshipped them.

It was then that the Holy Spirit showed me that the Asherah poles represent the things in my life that I cling to out of tradition, insecurity, desire and fear. I guard over those poles in my life to the point where I subconsciously defend having them. The thought that I myself was no different from those kings whom I’ve been reading about alarmed me.

What am I holding onto that needs to be torn down?

What poles have I erected around me that function more like a barrier to God and others?

I thought about these questions and heard the word of rebelliousness. I knew I was formerly rebellious, but I no longer saw myself like that from my current vantage point looking over my life. The Holy Spirit wanted to show me a different vantage point; one that allowed me to see what I really didn’t want to see.

I saw an unwillingness to be accountable, a problem submitting to authority, and a stubbornness that sought to follow my own path. I wanted to say, “That was part of my past but I’m not that same guy anymore!” But before I could utter a word of defense, the Holy Spirit showed me little subtleties which I subconsciously acted on.

I began to realize how easy it is to hang on to things that are so totally wrong for me and think that it’s cool, it’s not a REAL problem, I can handle things fine just the way they are. By relying on my intelligence, my talents, my skills and my knowledge, I was usurping the authority of God in my life.

What did I have to show for my Asherah poles?

I felt my own devised sense of security; I was protected from ever being hurt by anyone.

Who did I think would hurt me? Why even now did I feel the need to shield myself?

As I pondered these questions, I felt something which I’d always tried to shield myself from feeling; I felt vulnerable, weak and afraid.

I thought, O God, why do I cling to ways that bring me nothing but frustration and pain? Why do I value the empty thoughts and behavior in my life?

“I want to tear down these poles that are part of my life Lord, but I don’t know if I can.”

“Surrender them to Me”, He says.

There is genuine concern for what I’m about to say but I know He knows me better than I know myself.

“I’m willing Lord, I really want to but I need Your help because I really don’t know how...”

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your way acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”²

“The troubles of my heart are enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses. Look upon my affliction and my trouble, And forgive all my sins.”³

“O God, Thou art my God; I shall seek Thee earnestly; My soul thirsts for Thee, my flesh yearns for Thee, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.”⁴

Heavenly Father,

I dont want the phrase he did evil in the sight of God to be associated with my name; I want to do what pleases you, what honors you, what worships you. Help me tear down those things in my life that I've erected. Things which hinder and harm my relationship with You, things which prevent intimacy with You. The things which keep me from being close with others. You give love to me without measure and I am constantly in awe of Your tremendous capacity to love me. Thank you Lord for the work of the Holy Spirit in my life, helping me grow in grace and love for you. Amen.

Footnotes:

1. 2 Kings 18:1, 3-5; 20:21; 21:2-3, NASB
2. Proverbs 3:5-6, NASB
3. Psalm 25:17-18, NASB
4. Psalm 63:1, NASB

References:

1. Unger's Bible Dictionary, By Merrill F. Unger, Moody Press, Chicago
2. The Ryrie Study Bible (New American Standard Version), Edited by Charles C. Ryrie, Moody Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, ISBN 0-8024-8920-6