When was the last time you got alone with God and just praised Him? I mean, really praise Him, not thank Him or question Him or ask Him for anything. A couple of days ago I did that. I have been getting up early in the morning to pray and read my Bible. This is a discipline I am trying to establish in my life. I don’t do it every morning, but the majority of mornings I have been doing this.
I have been reading in the book of Revelation the last couple of weeks. I am going very slow, through my NIV Study Bible. I read the Scripture and then the notes. Then I reflect on what I read, not more than one chapter at a time. As I was reading in Chapter 4 I came across a portion that described how God was being praised and worshiped in heaven.
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” When I read that, I stopped and read it again. Then I read it out loud several times. Then I closed my eyes and repeated this about ten times directly to God. Each time I said it, it felt more meaningful and powerful. I was not just chanting something mindlessly, I was praising the Almighty. I pictured myself at His feet worshiping Him.
After I had prayed that to God I did the same with another portion of Scripture, verse 11 – “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have there being.” I prayed that to God, slowly and forcefully.
Try that sometime. Get alone in a quiet place and read that Scripture or another Scripture over and over out loud to God. Pray the Scripture to Him. The more you say it and pray it to God, the more meaning comes from the Scripture. This is an example of building intimacy with God.
True intimacy with God has to come from our personal efforts to get closer to Him and get to know Him better. It is great to go to church and listen to great messages, sing great songs and read Scripture together. It is also great to get together with other Christians and study the Bible or talk about the message you heard or pray together. Getting out and putting into practice what you are hearing and learning also builds intimacy with God. But if you never get alone with Him and pour out your heart to Him and share every part of yourself with Him your intimacy is limited. It only remains on the surface and doesn’t get real.
Personal worship is an important part of your growing relationship with Jesus Christ. If it has been a while since you did that now is a great time to start. Don’t allow your life to be so busy that you neglect the most important relationship you will ever have. Don’t face the day without plugging into the most amazing and powerful source we have. Start right now!
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”