Have you ever spent time praying without ever asking God to “do” anything? For me, I find that much of my prayer time is spent telling God what I need, what others need, and asking him to take action. I don’t often spend time appreciating him and listening.
Now, I’m not implying that it is bad to tell God your needs, wants and desires. I’m simply saying that there is benefit in praying without an agenda. I was speaking with a great friend and he told me that, recently, he spent 20 minutes in prayer expressing his deep love for God. My first thought when I heard this was, “20 minutes??? Really? That is a lot of time to say, ‘I love you.’” However, as I listened to him talk about the experience, I found myself desperately wanting to do the same. It wasn’t about the amount of time. It was about fully expressing his love to Jesus.
As I “tried” this for the first time, I was overwhelmed with the incredible glory of God. I do not say this in a religious sense. I say this as if speaking of a treasured lover. Marvelously, my experience was that God was quick to draw me close and return this expression of my love 10-fold. I felt deeply loved and wanted. Yes, I felt like God really wanted to be near me.
I must admit that I had to stop myself several times from making requests of God. Each time I refrained and focused on just loving God, I felt drawn even closer by God. In the end, I left that prayer time refreshed, energized and exceedingly happy. It was a beautiful experience and I am grateful that God challenged me in this way through the experience of another.
So, I challenge you. Set aside some time and simply approach Jesus and tell him how much you love him. Then, submit a comment and tell me about your experience.
#encounterJesus
Now, I’m not implying that it is bad to tell God your needs, wants and desires. I’m simply saying that there is benefit in praying without an agenda. I was speaking with a great friend and he told me that, recently, he spent 20 minutes in prayer expressing his deep love for God. My first thought when I heard this was, “20 minutes??? Really? That is a lot of time to say, ‘I love you.’” However, as I listened to him talk about the experience, I found myself desperately wanting to do the same. It wasn’t about the amount of time. It was about fully expressing his love to Jesus.
As I “tried” this for the first time, I was overwhelmed with the incredible glory of God. I do not say this in a religious sense. I say this as if speaking of a treasured lover. Marvelously, my experience was that God was quick to draw me close and return this expression of my love 10-fold. I felt deeply loved and wanted. Yes, I felt like God really wanted to be near me.
I must admit that I had to stop myself several times from making requests of God. Each time I refrained and focused on just loving God, I felt drawn even closer by God. In the end, I left that prayer time refreshed, energized and exceedingly happy. It was a beautiful experience and I am grateful that God challenged me in this way through the experience of another.
So, I challenge you. Set aside some time and simply approach Jesus and tell him how much you love him. Then, submit a comment and tell me about your experience.
#encounterJesus
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