Many of us, at one point or another as a Christian, must have acknowledged Him as Adonai, your Lord and Master. I remember mine. On the day I believed that He died for me and accepted Him into my life, I called Him ‘Lord’. On times when I was low on my strength and high in need of His intervention, I called Him ‘Lord, Lord’ loudly in prayers. On those days, I did not know that Adonai was one of His names, but I had called Him Lord with the same meaning in my heart. I acknowledged Him Him as my Master and submitted, totally to Him for help.
Adonai which means Lord, Master, is more than a word; it indicates a relationship. The Lordship of God means His total possession of me and my total submission to Him as Lord and Master. Abraham was first to use “O Lord (Adonai)” in Genesis 15:2. During Abraham’s time, slavery was common. And I’m sure Abraham understood the relationship between a servant and master. The servant is totally dependant dependent upon his master to meet all of his needs. And what better person to use the word Adonai, knowing God truly as Lord and Master. Abraham fully understood what it meant to acknowledge God’s lordship over him. Do we also acknowledge God’s lordship over us? What does it mean for us to acknowledge Him as Adonai, our Lord and Master?
Let us look at what Jesus said regarding Lordship. “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46 NIV) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matt 7:21-23 NIV)
From these verses, we can grasp the reality of God’s Lordship over our lives. To acknowledge God as our Lord and Master simply means doing what He has commanded in Scriptures, His revealed will for us. But having the right outward expressions are not the end, it must be accompanied by an inward submission and acceptance of God’s Lordship over our lives. In all that we are doing, we need a heart that is aligned to the will of the Father. Can we call him Lord and refuse to do the things He tells us to do? As Adonai, God has the right to expect obedience. Our submission and acceptance to God’s Lordship is all we need for the task He puts before us. As Adonai, it is He who supplies what His servants need in order to perform their Master’s will.
“A son honors his father and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the LORD Almighty…” (Malachi 1:6 NIV) Are we guilty of calling Him Adonai, yet denying His Lordship over our life? The heart of the problem in Christianity today, is the problem of the heart. More and more, we need an inward submission and acceptance of His Lordship to accompany the outward expressions of our worship to Him. Let’s take time to reflect on our relationship with God.
Brother Samuel Lim
