Well I was reading "The Pursuit of God" by A.W. Tozer this after when he said something that really struck me.
"We Christians are in real danger of losing God amid the wonders of His Word. We have almost forgotten that God is a Person and, as such, can be cultivated as any person can. It is inherent in personality to be able to know other personalities, but full knowledge of one personality by another cannot be achieved in one encounter (26)."
It is so interesting to think that to get to know someone better I usually will spend time with them, talk with them, listen to what they have to say. Yet when it comes to me getting to know God better, I like to adjust charts about how he loves me, and create a list about his omniscience, or create another unworthy comparison about the trinity and then realize it is still really confusing. Looking at my prayers they do not reflect the fact that I am communicating with a personality, but perhaps some calculating robot. My prayers recently have simply been reflecting some cold hard knowledge of Him, and instead of being real with my own struggles and faults I come forward with some analytic confession, with folded hands and a bended knee, yet lacking any heart of repentance. My prayers do not reflect the way I communicate in real life, as if I say someone's name ever 3rd word when I talk to a them, like when I talk to God. I look for growth and an increased love for God without prayer and without listenting to His word. Without communicating...
God is a person, a personality, personal. How could I have forgotten.
If I want to learn more about my parents I don't stand by and analyze them, record how they respond to situations, and the formulate it. I talk, interact with them, listen and respond to what they have to say. My interactions with God must be personal, because he has established a personal relationship with me.
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3 comments:
when you think about it, we manipulate our human relationships too. The big difference is that God cannot be manipulated and will not sway his character to perform to our desires.
amen guys. i think it's hard to stay balanced in real life. my emotions shouldn't be the defining motive of my prayer life, but neither should cold hard facts. facts alone do not drive me deeper into the personal (relational) knowledge of God, and yet my feelings often warp God into what i want Him to be, instead of recognizing all He is. i need God's Word as my mooring!
I am sure this is a Parent Thing. But the first word in the first sentence should be "While" not "Well". Otherwise I totally agree with you. I struggle in the same area. My prayers are often sound like I am at a wishing well instead of the presence of God. This is man's fallen nature. An internal struggle between the nature of the Holy Spirit and the natural man that only the Christian is burdened with. A life long struggle that will have it's peaks and valleys. I relate to your story. Love, Dad
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