The Character of Abba Father’s Heart – Holiness that Humbles
Last week I shared how riding my bike against a 40-mile-an-hour wind was a humbling experience. It revealed my weakness! This is true as well when you experience the Wind of our Father’s Holiness as it reveals the depths of who you really are. When we get close to the Father and His perfect, pure, and holy nature, we want to turn the bike around as fast as we can as our sin and weakness are exposed before Him.
Yet, this is exactly what we need to encounter: a Father in the fullness of His Holiness. When we experience His Holiness we can then humbly come to know our true self, be healed, and become the true children He has called us to be. When God reveals His Holiness to His children it is truly an act of His love.
I will never forget a day many years ago when unexpectedly God visited me with the Wind of His Holiness. I fell to the ground as His nearness revealed the depth of my sin and weakness. I cried for several hours undone and broken before Him. By the time my wife got back from work that exposed sin and weakness was replaced by a powerful inner peace and a joy flooded my soul (I Peter 1:8).
This day of humbling helped me understand the utter importance of knowing a Holy Father. It made Isaiah 6 come alive for me, as proud Isaiah encountered the glorious King of kings high and lifted up. The sight of His Holiness as well as the angels declaration; “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory,” vs. 3, broke him. Overwhelmed Isaiah yelled out “Woe to me!….I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty,” vs. 5.
True wholeness and healing in our hearts starts with a revelation of a Holy Father. Oh, how it hurts – I know. Yet, we need this gift of His Holy presence and need to cry out for help as Isaiah did. The realization of our weakness frees us to rely on the perfect solution provided through God’s Holy Son. More on this next week.
I believe one of the greatest needs today is for us to encounter a Holy Father! Our culture tells us to run, to cover up our sin, to cloth our nakedness with materialism, busyness, religious duty, etc. But this only leads to more pain and deeper separation from our loving Father. One of the greatest ways to open your heart to the gift of His holiness is to humble yourself and pray (2 Chron. 7:14). Moses prayed this simple life transforming prayer that brought him into the Holy Presence of the Father, “show me your glory,” Ex. 33:18. I know I need to realize my shortcomings and sin and encounter the holiness of God, and hope you find that you need this as well, so join me in this short but powerful prayer, “show me Your glory!”
Thank-you – this is so reminiscent of my experiences with meeting my Abba. The most joyful, joy filled, humbling experiences I have ever had. What I realized while reading this is that these experiences have happened at His timing, hardly ever when I am purposely looking for answers. I do have times of prayer, fasting and repentance that have opened my eyes, ears and heart to His leading but these times with my Abba….. these times of overwhelming by His presence… they always catch me unaware, during layovers in Airport terminals, sitting in remote places alone, my bedroom. The common theme is being alone, broken, seeking, waiting and staying in that place as much as possible until He, in His perfect timing answers and they always leave me speechless and prostrate on the floor.
What concerns me about me is how I cherish these times yet fear them too. I yearn for His presence yet i am scared and run from it too. I desire to stay in that place forever yet tremble at the thought. Lord, please do not let my fear of Your Holiness that totally undoes me become a way for me to distance myself from You. May I continue to seek You with all that i am – to know You more is my hearts desire.
What happens as a result of these times of Holy communion are a bit scary too. They cause me to step out in boldness and in ways that I could never do on my own. Ways in which I HAVE to trust Him with more, to not rely on self is terrifying and freeing at the same time. More of Him, less of me. Thank-you Lord that You take me in pieces, sometimes BIG and sometimes small – but You do take those selfish, broken pieces and continue to mold and shape me into who You created me to be.
Thanks for sharing Michele about your own encounters with the Father’s Holiness. Yes, “scarry” but life transforming at the same time. Join me sister in praying for more of a revelation of HIs awesome Holiness.
Blessings