A NEGLECTED CHRISTIAN PRACTICE

Seeking God our Father, our Redeemer and our LORD, is a sign of our spiritual maturity, and not the other way around. It is an indication of our finiteness and our utter dependency upon the LORD for our sustenance in life. 
– “12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:12-13

As a child, I have seen my father and my mother always praying and seeking God’s grace, before we went out of our home. We always prayed as a family. If my father was going out alone, he used to have his own prayer, before going out. When relatives visited us, we used to have some amazing scripture portions for reading, and then prayer, praising and thanking God for His goodness, and seeking God’s guidance and grace, for everything ahead. It is a wonderful and healthy spiritual habit.

Such a Christian practice can quickly become a ritual. It can become more a habit, and nothing else. True, and very well possible. Still, I would say, it is good to err on the good side. It is always beneficial.

When we seek God, we are acknowledging something publicly. This is important for us, for others around us and to God too. When we pray, we are acknowledging that….
– We need help
– We seek God for our help
– We are acknowledging that God is the One, who is truly in-charge of our lives
– We want to give all that is concerning us, into the hands of God, so that He can lead us, and guide us, in the right path
Also, by seeking God in prayer…
– We are humbling ourselves
– We are giving God His rightful place
– We are honouring God for who He is

Sadly, we don’t see such healthy and sound spiritual practices, in most Christian homes, anymore. Modern life, its understanding of life, and its perception of human strength, has seeped deep into the spiritual life of a Christian. Such sound and healthy dependency on God is replaced with a new brand of spirituality, where declarations and pronouncements of blessings and victory, have taken over. 

Have we noticed the shift? Our dependency on God is replaced with our declarations. When we depend on God, God is made the focus of our attention, and He is acknowledge, as the source of all power. However, when we decide to pronounce declarations, we become the central focus of the attention, and God’s power is merely used by us, at our discretion, as if we are entitled to it, as our right, where, we are in control, and in the driver’s seat…not God.

Peter and John in Acts demonstrate to us, how to wisely use the power that God bestows upon His disciples, without dishonouring God, the Giver of all good things.
– “6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” – Acts 3:6
If we are not careful, we can soon become self-sufficient, and merely use God as a tool, to serve our own ends, thus becoming, “gods” of our own lives.

May the LORD help us to be ever so vigilant, that we learn to depend on God, and not become “gods” ourselves. May the LORD help us to be, discerning disciples of the LORD Jesus Christ. Even so the LORD help us.