Who God Is by Kristina Cornell

Sometimes, I forget just who God is. Yes, He is my friend, and I am thankful that He beckons us to “pray without ceasing.” He said that it is actually His will that we pray without ceasing. I take full liberty with that right as His child; I talk to Him throughout the day. I am in constant communication with Him. I have become so comfortable talking with God that sometimes I have to remind myself just who He is.

I remember that Jesus spoke these words in Matthew 6:9, “Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” Jesus was reminding His disciples, including us, to not forget who God is.

“OUR FATHER”, is such a beautiful way to begin a prayer. He is Abba. He is ours. He calls us “sons and daughters.” What perspective. The loving arms of a father, the Father, waiting to hold us while we speak to Him; longing to wipe away our tears and offer solutions to our worries. Our Father, wanting nothing more than for us to be honest with Him about the mistakes we have made; to ask Him to help us. Our Father, being patient as we explain our opinions and gently guiding us back on track. “Our Father”, what a beautiful way to start a prayer.

“Hallowed (holy, sacred, consecrated, sanctified, blessed, blest, revered) be Thy name.” When we forget who God is, it is often because we have not praised Him enough. When we praise Him, when we worship Him, it is clearly in honor to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He is the King, seated on His throne. He is the holy one, the Holy Presence who dwelled within the ark of the covenant and appeared to the New Testament followers in the upper room.

Romans 14:11 reads: For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.”

We will recognize Him as the Lord of all at some point. But, why would we wait? He inhabits the praises of His people. When we want God to show up, we praise Him for all He has already done. We worship Him for who He is. Holy be your name, God.

Jesus goes on in Matthew 6:10 to say: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

I was reading in Daniel 2:44 that “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.”

He is establishing His kingdom in our hearts right now. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the vessels used for His kingdom. “It will itself endure forever.” He has “built His kingdom… and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” Our holy, righteous, just, loving, omniscient, omnipresent, blameless, sinless, perfect Father, seated on His throne in heaven, is giving us permission to ask Him to let His kingdom come, to take rulership of our lives.

“Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Oh, my precious friends, this one gets people caught up in themselves. We find ourselves hesitating to pray these words. We ask ourselves “What if His will is different than what we want… then what do we do?” “What if He will not bless my relationship or give the job to me that I want? What if I cannot go on vacation this year, what if He asks me to give my money to missions instead?” All the while forgetting that “His ways are perfect” and that “the footsteps of a righteous man are ordered by God.”

We lack the understanding that “every good and perfect gift comes from above.” (yes, the same above where the Holy Father sits on His throne). Why do we do that? Why do we take the plan out of the only hands that are perfect? Why do we insert ourselves into His position as Lord? We act as though we have not fully surrendered.

Surely, when one surrenders in any other forum, there cannot be a retake of the original stance. Consider a sporting event, if a team were to concede to another, due to unquestionable defeat, if that team then said, “never mind” after the game was already called. Or in battle, after the relinquishment of control, while headed into the new agreement, the ‘surrendered’ stated: “I cannot do this anymore!”

Surrender means surrender. We have to surrender it all, we must “offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is our true and proper worship” Paul writes in Romans 12:1.

Truly, the most safe and secure prayer that we could ever pray: “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

As we go about our daily lives, let us not forget who God is.

By Kristina Cornell

You can find out more about Kristina on Facebook HERE.

For more Gospel Music news, read the latest SGNScoops Magazine HERE