ADORERS OF GOD

 MAY 12, 2022

Mark 12:28-34

28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”




Adoration of God, loving God with our whole being, is the greatest commandment. In Mark 12 Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment is.  Jesus said, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

In THE PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD, Brother Lawrence encourages us, in step with Jesus words, to “make our hearts a spiritual temple where we continually adore [God],” and that we should strive “to be the most perfect adorers of God in this life …”

Yet, would you agree, that to be a “perfect adorer of God” is not easy. Just like the teaching of the Apostle Paul to “Pray without ceasing,” presents us with an enormous challenge, so this call to love God with our whole being seems unattainable.

Brother Lawrence gets this; his writings are the acknowledgement of the struggle to have hearts that continually adore God. You see, like us, he realized that he was imperfect as an adorer of God. Yet he pressed on toward learning to live out Jesus words and challenge to love God with everything he was.

I believe that Jesus and Brother Lawrence, and many others through Christian history discovered that we need to disentangle ourselves from externals. While God is present in all places, we do not always have that awareness because life moves fast, in our day living a frantic pace as we do can divert our attention away from moments of encounter with God, and therefore result in us missing evidence of God’s presence.

What should we do to combat this? Well Lawrence suggests withdrawing from what is external from time to time to adore God within ourselves and enjoy his divine presence in peace for a few moments.” I really find Brother Lawrence’s words helpful on this. He writes, “a brief lifting up of the heart is enough. A brief remembrance of God, an act of inner adoration even while in the midst of seemingly unspiritual circumstances draws us deeper into God’s presence." It is an action to “remember the Lord our God” as the Old Testament suggests frequently.

Liz Carmichael talks about what she calls “arrow prayers” – short sentences declaring our desire, our intention, and our love for God. “Arrow Prayers” such as ‘My God, I am completely yours,’ or ‘God of love, I love you with all my heart,’ or ‘Lord, fashion me according to your heart,’ or God may my love for you be evident in my work today, or any other words love freely produces.” When we practice being present to God, we are able to truly love God, as Jesus calls us, with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength.” And of course, to love our neighbors as ourselves.”

Let Us Pray,

O God, we live and move have our being;
your Holy Spirit breathes life into us
moment by moment and day by day;
therefore, we wait for your loving-kindness, O God,
and open our hearts to your presence,
asking that you be with us now
and hold us in your strengthening care;
help us to put away all the distractions of our daily lives,
to quiet our hearts and our minds,
to seek and to know your presence with us now;
and then teach us to wait peacefully in your presence
and to cast all our cares on you because you care for us;
Give us, Almighty Creator, the gift of life renewed;
Grant us, Healing Savior, the gift of life renewed;
Fill us, Indwelling Spirit, with the gift of life renewed. Amen.

TAKE AWAY

Try to practice some “arrow prayers” today.

See if you can add a sense of adoration into your sensing and savouring of God’s Presence.