ChosenRebel's Blog

Monday Musings 

Sometimes we get too familiar with things. Sometimes we get too familiar with one another. And when we do, we begin to take them for granted. We don’t treat them with the respect that they deserve as image-bearers of God. 

Sometimes, the same thing happens in relationship to God. We get too ‘familiar’ with God. And the result is that we don’t show Him the respect and honor He deserves.

If we were invited to the White House, or the Governor’s mansion of our state, or if we didn’t go so high as the the President or the Governor and we were invited just to the mayor’s office of our local town, we would approach such an invitation with a certain gravity with a certain weight. And yet, that is precisely what modern day Christians seem to be lacking in their approach to God.

I’ve written about this before (here). But recently I was reminded again by a number of incidents in my own church as well as this quote from Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus.

“Is it possible to cultivate a sense of God’s presence, particularly during prayer? There is a Hebrew word that deals with the question: kavanah, which means ‘intention’ or ‘direction.’ The word conveys the idea of being profoundly aware of the One to whom you are speaking as you direct your heart toward heaven. ‘A prayer without kavanah is like a body without a soul,’ says the rabbis. It’s a lifeless, dead corpse. Because so many Jewish prayers are repeated, the rabbis emphasized the need for kavanah, so that each time a person prays, the words are fresh and full of passion, with a sense of reverence for the awesome God who is their focus.”

—Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus, 87.

Let’s give real kavanah to our prayer. Let’s give God the attention and intention of our heart. Let’s give Him the reverence and respect that His holiness and love demands.