Nancy Brewer

The Hope of Being Captured by the Holiness of God

Would you let me just ramble today?  Go grab a cup of coffee, get comfortable in your favorite chair and let’s chat. 

Life has been busy.  I feel a bit frazzled and overwhelmed, yet not lost.  The activities and commitments on my schedule are things I want to do.  My sweet Pastor husband has sat me down several times to help me figure out what I can release, and I keep coming up with nothing.  My problem is no break, no day off, no moment to breathe. 

I’ll be honest: typing that last sentence just about opened the flood of tears I’ve been storing. I have no major reason to fall apart sobbing, but my emotions often have a mind of their own. My random, fun-in-the-moment personality is struggling under the structure of my days. 

As inane as it may sound, I want my social media feed to be filled with stories about someone’s kid drinking from the dog’s bowl, or how child number 3 played the best prank on child number 1. Fill my scrolling moments please with how you were delighted with flowers from your back yard, or enjoyed the best dinner out with friends, or were surprised with tickets to go see whatever you’ve been longing to go see. I want to see life in all its glorious, joyous daily-ness.

Since I’m rambling, let me admit, I know a part of me is missing what once was and is no more.  I miss my kids living at home; I miss my parents and two of my sisters, who are all home with Jesus; I miss feeling like I can eat whatever I want whenever I want; I miss good TV shows on regular TV; and I miss being blissfully unaware of a multitude of things.

My guess is if we really were chatting over coffee, your rambling would have some similarities to mine.  I’m sure you need a break, you want to know daily life is still good, and you long for something or someone that is no more. It’s often where we live.

Photo by Georgia de Lotz on Unsplash

Hope from God’s Word

I recently spent time revisiting the Shema. The Shema is a Jewish prayer central to Judaism found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5.

“Listen Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength.”

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 CSB

I watched several videos from bibleproject.com to broaden my understanding of the Shema. One of the videos was specifically on the word “Lord.” (bibleproject.com/explore/video/yhwh-lord/) I was fascinated by the concept that God was considered so holy the Israelites didn’t want to dishonor Him by speaking His name aloud.  “Yahweh” was too precious; they wanted to rightly reverence their God.

Seeing God as LORD

This idea ruminated in my brain for days. I finally concluded I struggle to perceive God with the reverence He deserves. It’s not that I don’t love Him or desire to serve Him with my life, but the depth and breadth of God’s holiness, righteousness, and power is beyond my comprehension. I realized I lean into making God more manageable, more down-to-earth.  Which, when you think about it, doesn’t make sense, does it?

God’s Spirit has been teaching me; lesson after lesson, on seeing God first and foremost regardless of what I am doing or experiencing. As I read through my journal, I saw so many notes to myself about viewing each moment through the filter of seeing God in all His majesty first.

Photo by lilartsy on Unsplash

  • “If I believe God values each individual, then how I encourage just one is significant to God because He values that one so much.”  (Acts 8:4-8)

  • The believers of Thessalonica “were all googly-eyed in love with Jesus – all wide-eyed [with] wonder and [full of] joy. [This] led them to be bold, obedient, enduring. They weren’t focused on being an example, they were focused on delighting and pleasing God.” (1 Thessalonians 1:2-10)

  • “I can worship and doubt at the same time. I need to focus on what I do know over what I don’t know. Worship needs to overtake doubt. [Worship] has precedence.” (Matthew 28:16-20)

  • “Peter and John healed someone because they were led by God.  When confronted, they didn’t spout about how they were ‘right’ and others were wrong.  They weren’t dissecting the world’s issues. They were focused on adding glory to God.” (Acts 4:1-21)

  • “God wants me to consider Him and see Him as the I AM when I begin to feel anxious; when I don’t want to exercise, but I know I should; when I think I need to cut back on carbs, but it sounds so restrictive. God wants me to see Him, consider Him, rely on Him, be consumed with Him and not what my tastebuds ask for.” (Deuteronomy 6:1-9)

  • “Keep asking: What will honor God most in this moment?” (Leviticus 19:9-18)

    • God Deserves our Reverence

    Seeing God first and foremost, in all His majesty, is crucial. When we just follow the guidelines offered in scripture, we can be amazingly good people, it doesn’t necessarily mean we are godly.  Through the ramblings that fill my mind, I have learned, if we want to be Christ-followers, disciples of Jesus, we must be consumed and enraptured with God Himself, God alone.

    Choosing to rightly reverence God enables us to see His power as greater than what we feel is overwhelming.  When we see God in all His majesty, whatever we long for pales in comparison. Being captured by God’s holiness and longing to honor Him in all we do enables us to better pick and choose how to fill our days. Embracing the glory and wonder of who He is brings purpose and contentment, even when our days are packed with responsibilities.

    God is drawing me to a deeper walk with Him, I long for you to see how He is drawing you.  My prayer is that even when you need a break, or struggle with seeing the goodness in life, or if you are grieving what once was, you will push to discover the majesty of God in your circumstance.   Life is wondrously good when we reverence God because He is holy. 

    Finding Ways to Live Out Reverence

    I challenge you to revel in the holiness of God, to wonder in His majesty.  Take a walk and notice the change of the season and the wonder of God’s creation.  Listen to praise and worship music taking time to ponder the words.  Spend time in the your Bible reading 1 Chronicles 16:8-36, Psalms 95, or Psalms 145 and list out what you learn about who God is.  Journey through your memories recalling all the various ways God has been faithful and give thanks. 

    Photo by Dawid Zawiła on Unsplash

    May the magnificent splendor of God’s holiness capture you in reverence.

    I’m praying for you.

    Coffee Photo by Sabrinna Ringquist on Unsplash

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    7 thoughts on “The Hope of Being Captured by the Holiness of God”

    1. Being Captured by His Holiness. I like that. In my journey with Him recently, I’ve been captured by so many things. His goodness to me, His faithfulness to me, His provision to me,and on and on. It’s captured me at times and I find myself being almost overwhelmed and this joy springing up in the most unusual times. (not just in a quiet prayer time but even driving home from the grocery store). One day several weeks ago, during my prayer time, I just wanted to concentrate on Who God Is. It made me think of the Trinity. I began to so to speak separate the three and talk to each one about what they meant in my life and Who they are and what they mean to my relationship with each one. Now I don’t forget they are really all GOD, but I was blessed as I was “captured by His Holiness”. God the Father, well that speaks volumes. I go to Him like a child needing her Daddy and He is just so big and powerful and nothing is too hard for Him. Jesus the Son, well He’s been in my shoes. He puts a face on God. He understands me. God the Holy Spirit, well He is my anchor, my help in present trouble, my guide. Well there was really a lots to say to each, To God Almighty. So that’s how I’ve been captured by Him lately. That’s the short version. It’s what’s present right now in my life. Do I ever feel His love. I am so blessed.

      1. Let me just begin with I adore you. I love your relationship with Jesus and utterly genuine your faith is. Speaking to each member of the Trinity is a fabulous idea, and recounting how each one has influenced your life. Wow, just wow! I love your phrase describing Jesus: He puts a face on God. Thanks so much for sharing, you bless me!!

    2. Thank you for the reminder that we need to look up and see a new vision of who God really is. I went a little farther in Deuteronomy to chp 7. From the Amplified Bible verse 9 says “Know, recognize and understand therefore that the Lord your God, He is God the faithful God, Who keeps covenant and steadfast love and mercy with those who love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations.” Know – Recognize and Understand – so beyond our comprehension, but God calls us to Himself so that we can know, recognize and understand Him more on newer and deeper levels.
      Even in the midst of tough times I will like David lift up my eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help – the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. That last phrase just makes me pause – He really and truly has this under control.
      Thank you for your insight.

      1. I love that you kept reading in Deuteronomy AND I love the verse that says He is the faithful God. We may not always understand, but we can always stand rock solid on the truth that He is the faithful God and “He really and truly has this under control.” Love you to the moon and back sis-tah! Praying for you more and more.

    3. First of all, thank you, thank you, thank you for writing this blog! You are such a gifted writer. You make me think and ponder. I love that. I am in a bit of spiritual dryness right now and find your posts to be such good medicine for my soul. I needed to hear your words today.

      1. I am grateful that I’ve made you think. I’m blessed that what I write “makes you ponder.” Thanks for sharing that you needed to hear my words, that is such an encouragment. And truthfully… I needed these words too. Praying for you my friend. Wish you lived closer.

    4. You are a source of great encouragement to me these days. I quietly stalk and store. Thank you! And I love your glasses.

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