I think we hear a lot of different words connected to God, but we often miss the depth of meaning. One of those concepts is the relationship that we have with Him. I think too many people see God as a friend, someone we can ask for help, or maybe just an acquaintance. I don’t want to downgrade the intimacy that we can and should have with God, but we must understand the fullness of that relationship. I might have a good friend that is a CEO of a huge company. We can go out to eat, gather for a game night, go fishing and so on. We can be close, but the money, pressures, influence, and networking is far beyond what I could fully relate to. I’m not questioning that there can’t be a close relationship, but his responsibility/consequence is far beyond my experience. Likewise, with Christ, we can have both a close relationship with Him and understand that His responsibilities far exceed anything we might imagine. We cannot swap out God’s supreme and ultimate power for our friendship version of Him. We can worship Him as Sovereign and still maintain a deep connection. Also, when it comes to prayers, I think we often are thinking of what solution God should provide before we even fold our hands. We might ask why God answered something the way He did... why didn’t that person get healed... why did they die... why didn’t God allow me to get that perfect job... why did circumstances prevent me from accomplishing what I had planned? It is because God is Sovereign. He is not bound by our limited knowledge or earthly desires and emotions. This is where we must hear again the words from the Lord’s Prayer - “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. We pray with confidence in our human limitations to a God who knows our prayer before we even utter it. If we truly believe that God is real and that He hears all our prayers, why do we sometimes question His answers? Is God only true when He answers it my way? This again forces us to acknowledge the sovereignty of God. Don’t deny the importance of an intimate relationship with God, but also, don’t deny His deep understanding, and that His actions cannot be influenced by outside influences. Father, Your knowledge and power are beyond comprehension, and Your actions are always right and just. To you be all glory. Amen