Growing Reverence (Gelah Raz)

Thank You Lord… You are so good.  You are faithful and You hear and respond to our prayers.

God forgive me.  Forgive me for my arrogance in Your presence that I mistook for boldness.  Thank You for the increasing understanding You are giving me of who You are.  And the more I see and understand of who You are the more in awe I am at the fact that You are remotely mindful of me… let alone faithful to me and completely, jealously in love with me.

Wow.

Lord, I just ask that You not stop… smack me out of my complacency and hurt my pride so that I might better understand who You are and that I am nothing compared to You and yet priceless in Your eyes.  Give me the jolt of reality chased with fierce love… I receive it Lord and love You all the more for caring too much about me to let me settle.

I want all of You just as You want all of me.

You have been speaking to me about Your name Gelah Raz– Revealer of Mysteries.  I love that thought… and as I began to understand more about WHY this is how You choose to be… it’s all about Your love for me… for us.  You woo us in and entice us into a delightful lover’s game where we spend hours together as I try to find the hidden treasures… all while Your hand on the small of my back directs me – like in a dance – I feel a turn left here, or a pause, or a move swiftly… or Your soft voice whispers in my ear “why don’t you look here?” or “how about this?”… all a joyous engagement to grow our love – to grow our intimacy and so that You might have what You created us for… companionship with Yourself.

Wow.  That overwhelms me.

And yet as I researched Your name, Gelah Raz (searching out one of the mysteries of You), I discovered one of the root words (reveal) also has another meaning… exile!  Oh my – in Your fierce jealousy You actually woo us out into the desert – into exile… initially not a pleasant though, but then I ask why… so that there are no distractions.  All I have is You.

And so I run to You and You meet me there… and we grow in our intimacy… just like any relationship or family that makes it through a difficult time together… they grow stronger when they have successfully made it through the season.  So with us – as I walk through the desert (and on so many occasions You carry me) – our love deepens and grows.  The beauty of the desert.

God, You are such a kind and merciful Lover and Father – Protector, Provider… thank You for being patient with me as it has taken a long time and I am just beginning to see.