O God You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly, my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. [Ps 63:1]
Let me start with a very simple question today. Is God really our God? Before we answer I think it is worth noting what the word God means in this passage. Simply put it means that God is Boss and Master. He does not have to ask our permission to do anything. He is superior and we are inferior. He calls the shots, and we are to comply. He charts the course, and we are to follow. He gives the orders, and we are to obey.
That three-letter word God encompasses more than our minds can conceive. We relate to God as a loving Father, the Almighty, the Deliverer, the Righteous Judge, Merciful, the God of grace, Sovereign Lord, and a host of other things. How often do we relate to Him as Boss and Master?
I sat with a man over breakfast yesterday sharing the gospel with Him. I told him at the end that Jesus demands to get in the driver's seat of our lives and determines where we go while we sit in the passenger's seat. That is not the way many Christians live. They continually ask God to bless their plans, to get on board with their agenda, and to grant them all their requests.
So, I ask the question again. Is God really our God? Is He our Boss and our Master? I am not asking to answer with our words. I challenge us to look at our actions. Do our actions indicate that He is our Boss and our Master?
If He is there will be certain things that are true. our priorities will be rearranged. The way we spend our money will be impacted. The way we are entertained will be affected. How we invest our time and talents will be greatly influenced. Worship will take on added significance both privately and publicly. Prayer will increase. Devotions will become more than a religious routine. Obeying God will become a higher focus. Serving Him will be important.
We have barely scratched the surface to all that God being Boss and Master in our lives means. He will give assignments we are to fulfill. [Eph 2:10] He will call us to walk by faith and not by sight. [II Cor 5:7] He will demand holiness. [I Pet 1:15-16] He will lead us to repentance. [Rom 2:4-5] He will demand that we love Him most. [Matt 22:37-38] He will also demand that we love others. [Matt 22:39]
God is like an iceberg. Massive ice formations are visible above the waters awe inspiring. Massive mountains of ice beneath the surface larger than we can fathom from above. There is so much more of an iceberg beneath the water that cannot be seen. You can see parts of God's character above the surface. There is infinitely more to be discovered below the surface. Ther is always more of God to be discovered. Infinitely more. It is so easy to flutter away our days satisfied in our relationship with God when we do not even really know Him. It is so easy to read our Bibles and quickly dismiss what we read. Rationalizing our disobedience to God as Boss and Master.
Let me ask another question. What if we started reading one of the gospel accounts and stopped reading when we got to a command of Jesus? What if we left our Bibles and went and actually obeyed what He commanded before we started reading again? Consider the implications.
Revival is costly. Just the preparation for God to move among us is costly. He is leading us to prepare. He is leading us to submit to His authority in the days leading up to His mighty work among us. He is leading us to get focused. He is leading us to seek Him, to look beneath the surface. He is commanding us to obey Him as our Boss and Master. What we do in response speaks louder to God being our Boss and Master than what we say.
- Describe what God being Boss and Master means to you.
- Is there any area in your life where you are not complying with His commands?
- If so, spend some time in repentance.
- Take some time to seek God and discover what lies beneath the surface.
- Identify the specific things God is calling you to do in preparation for revival.
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