I feel small. I've felt this way before, but now it seems different. You've probably been here before. You walk into a massive room full of people. You feel small. You stand underneath an extremely large structure and feel tiny. You stand next to someone who has not only a large physique but an equally big heart...you feel small. If you have never felt this way before it's safe to say you don't get out enough! It's good to put ourselves in situations where we're not the biggest dog at the table. It's good to gain perspective. But my present smallness is more than this.

Sometimes you gain a view of God that you've never seen before. Like Moses up on the mountain with the Lord looking out over Canaan and seeing the breadth and depth of the land God promised and having his breath taken away. Like Joshua in the presence of the Angel of the Lord who says he's neither for him or the enemy; his sword is for the Lord alone. I'm very sure Joshua felt about the size of an ant in that moment. Think about Isaiah in his vision standing in the throne room, shaken by the mighty voices of the seraphim with the train of the King's robe wrapped around his feet. Small! Or Mary as a young virgin being visited by Gabriel. She's afraid. She finds herself on her face. Then she submits and finds herself standing under the canopy of Heaven with the glory of God in full view. She is small.

There are hundreds of biblical examples of God's greatness and our smallness. How does it make you feel to stand and live in light of God's grandeur? If you are indifferent, I'll repeat my earlier sentiment: "You don't get out enough!" Only this time, I'm referring to more than a great statue or a magnificent example of architecture. I'm talking about the work of the Creator of the Universe that is taking place all around you.

We need to take in His grandeur often enough that we never take on His position. We need to see His largeness enough that we aren't tempted to act like Him.

If you hear these words and automatically bend your heart and head to the King, you've been here before and know what I'm talking about. Your previous presence in the throne room does not mean your time there is done, like you punched that ticket and it's time to move onto something else. It means you are already aware of your smallness and His greatness and are hungry for more.

The Psalmist may be the best in laying out the majesty of God consistently over a section of writing. We hear about every adjective known to man poured over the feet of the King in these chapters. When we read them we are drawn to an upward gaze. This is where I find myself today, looking up, up, up... Squinting to see some new feature or some fresh sign. Straining to not faint in view of His breath-taking beauty and earth shaking power. I wish for you today smallness. I don't wish for less influence or lessened authority, but for a meeting with the Lord that is powerful enough to make you feel powerless. In reality, perception is all that really drives our ego. We FEEL powerful, influential, smart, funny, creative and scrappy. But the reality is, God is the only one who is fully all of these things and more. Just because we feel like Him doesn't mean we are. In fact, the Bible tells us, we only share in these creative abilities because we are made in His image, by His hands and ingenuity. These things aren't said to make you feel worthless. The fact that we are created by the King should make us feel priceless! They are said to shake us out of our own misconceptions of worth. Our value spikes and plummets in direct connection with our proximity to Jesus. Walking with Him we feel small and dependent on all He will offer. Choosing our own road we feel more and more independent and large.

My question to you today is not how do you feel about yourself but what perspective of the King do you enjoy? Are you up close and personal or distant and wary? I can't invite you strongly enough to the small side! Not only is the view incredible, the experience is amazing. It's all about Him.

Daniel Bramlett Serving in the Need of Love