Venerate God - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others), January 11, 2022

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary online, to venerate is to regard with reverential respect or with admiring deference or to honor with a ritual act of devotion. We live in a world where so many of us venerate our favorite athletes, musicians, actors, political and religious figures. They are practically deified in people's comments, in their minds, and even in how folks spend their money and time.

However, believers of God are to venerate HIM. We are instructed in Isaiah 8:13 - The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread. I've always understood this verse as warning us to have a healthy fear of God. To never forget that He is our Creator. The One who does and undoes.

It is easy to get a casual attitude toward God. After all, we constantly hear how much He loves us and how much He'll do for us. All of that is true, but that same God is also the one who destroys the wicked (Psalms 9:17), judges everyone (Romans 14:10), and exacts punishment on those who deserve it (Romans 2:12-15). Remember how He wiped out Sodom and Gomorrah? If you're not familiar, now is a great time to go read about it in Genesis 19. What about the time He killed the false prophet Hananiah who publicly challenged His Prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 28)? And there's Herod who according to Acts 12:23 - Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

There's a very good reason why He is known as the God of vengeance and divine retribution (Isaiah 35:4).

When dealing with God, veneration is key. Particularly for intercessors. The Bible instructs us to "enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." (Psalm 100:4). Veneration is a way to praise the Lord by acknowledging His many titles and qualities. It gives us unique access to His grace and mercy. In the Bible, He is called Sovereign Lord (Ezekiel 45:9), The Only God (1 Timothy 1:17), Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 43:14), Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6).

There are countless ways to honor God. Some call Him The Miracle Worker, Oath Keeper, Father of Glory, The Defender and other names reflective of His greatness. If we consider how nicely we speak to humans who have authority over us, we should be able to express such and more to our Lord. Consider how Bathsheba spoke to King David in 1 Kings 1. She prostrated before him and when prompted to speak, she spoke to him with extreme deference - even though he was her husband. She repeatedly lauded him with the title "my lord the king" and referred to herself as his "servant by the Lord your God." In the end, she got what she wanted - her son Solomon was made King over all his other brothers!

Let us apply Bathsheba's approach as we petition the Lord our God. Let us slow down and laud Him with names that reflect His character, His feats from the Bible, as well as the incredible things He's done in our lives. As we venerate Him and express our gratitude for Him, we can expect to be ushered into His presence and the Holy Spirit will help us so the words from our mouths and the meditations of our hearts are pleasing to the King of kings.

I pray that as you join us today for P&P, you will come armed with names of veneration to the Lord God Almighty. That you will come with a heart filled with joy to worship Him for all that He was, that He is and will be. I also pray that you will fellowship with names of people and situations to intercede for to the glory of God. See you at Noon EST!