"Sonbathing"
Do we know Him? Do we know that God of Jesus Christ? Maybe we think that there are other things more important in the Christian walk than knowing God - like loving God, praising Him, thanking Him, keeping the commandments, living a good life. There are many things that make up a truly Christian life, but all of them are rooted in authentic knowledge of God.
Perhaps we think that because we are Christians and read the Bible and know a great deal about God, that therefore we know God. Nothing could be further from the truth. It does us little good to memorize chapter and verse, to master the language of the Bible, if we have nothing to share in that language, no experiential knowledge of God in our lives.
Maybe that doesn't happen because we pray so little, so infrequently, and so poorly. For everything else we have plenty of leisure time. Visits, get-togethers, movies, the Olympics, concerts, and evening with friends, an invitation we can't decline - and these things are good because it is right and natural to come together with friends. But most of our lives we are, as Soren Kierkegaard noted, "so busy" with other things that we don't have time to wait patiently to hear the voice of the God of Jesus within us. An appointment with the barber or hair dresser is inviolable, but when God lays claim to our time, we balk.
The most important thing that ever happens in prayer is letting ourselves be loved by God. "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). It's like slipping into a tub of hot water and letting God's love wash over us, enfold us. Prayer is like sunbathing. When you spend a lot of time in the sun, people notice it. They say, "You've been at the beach." You look like you've been out in the sun because you've got a tan. Prayer - or bathing in the Son of God's love (Sonbathing?) - makes you look different. The awareness of being loved brings a touch of lightness and a tint of brightness and sometimes, for no apparent reason, a smile plays at the corner of your mouth. Through prayer you not only know God's love, you realize it, you are in conscious communion with it.
-From Lion and Lamb by Brennan Manning; part of The Inspirational Study Bible: New Century Version by Max Lucado
Do you feel like you communicate with God when you pray? Or do your prayers merely fulfill an obligation? Next time you pray, talk to God as you would a friend. Put any fancy prayer words aside and let God know how you feel.
Perhaps we think that because we are Christians and read the Bible and know a great deal about God, that therefore we know God. Nothing could be further from the truth. It does us little good to memorize chapter and verse, to master the language of the Bible, if we have nothing to share in that language, no experiential knowledge of God in our lives.
Maybe that doesn't happen because we pray so little, so infrequently, and so poorly. For everything else we have plenty of leisure time. Visits, get-togethers, movies, the Olympics, concerts, and evening with friends, an invitation we can't decline - and these things are good because it is right and natural to come together with friends. But most of our lives we are, as Soren Kierkegaard noted, "so busy" with other things that we don't have time to wait patiently to hear the voice of the God of Jesus within us. An appointment with the barber or hair dresser is inviolable, but when God lays claim to our time, we balk.
The most important thing that ever happens in prayer is letting ourselves be loved by God. "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). It's like slipping into a tub of hot water and letting God's love wash over us, enfold us. Prayer is like sunbathing. When you spend a lot of time in the sun, people notice it. They say, "You've been at the beach." You look like you've been out in the sun because you've got a tan. Prayer - or bathing in the Son of God's love (Sonbathing?) - makes you look different. The awareness of being loved brings a touch of lightness and a tint of brightness and sometimes, for no apparent reason, a smile plays at the corner of your mouth. Through prayer you not only know God's love, you realize it, you are in conscious communion with it.
-From Lion and Lamb by Brennan Manning; part of The Inspirational Study Bible: New Century Version by Max Lucado
Do you feel like you communicate with God when you pray? Or do your prayers merely fulfill an obligation? Next time you pray, talk to God as you would a friend. Put any fancy prayer words aside and let God know how you feel.
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