“One thing I have asked of the LORD; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in His temple.”
Psalm 27:4
Seeking His face continually.
Does it ever feel like you are too busy to slow down and be present? When we are super busy, slowing down seems like exactly the opposite of what we need to do. The world around us often pushes us to go-go-go. Sometimes it’s in that space that we do need to plant our feet in the ground for a moment and let the world rush on by. The pressure to achieve, the expectation to be something, can seem so much more urgent than seeking God in quiet places.
I’ve been learning the value of slowing down. Of resting. Of seeking God’s face. It can seem like a discipline sometimes to tune out the noise and dial into the Father’s voice. But’s it’s where I want to live. Not out of obligation or fear of not pleasing Him. But rather in the center of His delight in spending time with His daughter. I still struggle with setting aside the time consistently, but I’ve found that I have a lot more peace when I pause to talk with God throughout the day.
Spending time with God does not mean I leave the world, but it’s where my world is transformed by His reality.
Long after the Amen.
Talking with God doesn’t have to end with “Amen” after our morning prayer or quiet time. God is always with us, always present, and always listening. To me, seeking His face continually means that we can talk to Him any time of the day about anything. We can include Him in every part of our lives. Relationships require communication to grow. God already knows everything about us, but He delights in hearing it from us personally.
These are a few practices that help me stay connected with God throughout the day. Not that I ever do these perfectly or that I’m any more valuable to God through them. They simply help me remember that God cares about me personally and wants to hear from me (and you!).
Prayer and Bible reading are a way to start a conversation with God. We hear directly from God through His Word (the Bible). We can know His thoughts toward us and what He has to say about us through His Word. Prayer is also a way to share our anxieties, cares, questions, thoughts, and feelings with God. When I feel overwhelmed or anxious about anything, I can go right back to the Father in prayer and present my requests. We don’t have to go a single moment carrying the weight of whatever situation we are dealing with. God is near. He hears. He knows. He is in control.
Honesty in prayer has been a game-changer for me recently. I always tried to pray “good” prayers. Ones that ended with, “not my will but yours be done” while stuffing my emotions. I do still pray that His will be done, but now, there is a whole lot more honesty beforehand. I’ve found so much freedom in expressing my real thoughts and emotions to God. If I’m grieving something, I let Him know. If I’m confused, I tell Him so and ask for wisdom. God loves us so much and wants to give us good gifts. We can feel at home with Him, no matter what we are going through or how we are feeling.
Thanksgiving. Being thankful for what God has already done is hard when we are going through something difficult, am I right? When our hearts are grieving or we have difficult decisions to make, remembering His faithfulness in times past may not be our natural response. It is, however, what enables us to look up and remember how good and great our Father is. It’s what begins our journey toward praising Him in the valley and experiencing true victory over our doubts and fears.
Challenge/Takeaway Action: What is something you feel like you can’t tell God? Maybe it’s too small of a matter that you feel He might not care. Or maybe it’s so big and feels too hard to be honest with Him. Maybe it’s how you are feeling about Him and you think He will be mad that you feel that way… Today’s (or this week’s) challenge is to be honest with God in prayer. When you talk to Him, don’t sugarcoat it. You can be honest and still experience His love for you. As you do, I believe you’ll find yourself at more and more at home with Him.
