A father returns home from a long day at work. He opens the front door, sets down his briefcase, and inhales a deep breath of something delicious being prepared in the kitchen. Two little ones come running to him from the hallway to the right.
"Daddy, Daddy," little Mikey shouts as he halts before his father. "My train set broke. The engine won't run anymore. Can you fix it? My friend Ken is coming over tomorrow and I promised he could play with it." Frowning, he gives his father a sad look, then gestures toward his little brother waiting beside him. "And Sammy hit me. He hurt my finger." He lifts up the injured appendage. "Also I have a project for school I need to do. Can you help?" He draws closer to his father and pats down his father's pants' pockets. "Did you bring a treat today? You said you would."
Mikey's father smiles lovingly at his son and runs a hand through the lad's curly blond hair. "No treat today, but I will help you with all those things."
Smiling, Mikey darts away. "Thanks Dad."
No sooner did he leave then Sammy dashes into his father's arms. Hoisting him up, his father squeezes him tight and lowers to sit on a nearby couch. The boy leaps onto his lap and nestles close against his father's chest, hugging him. "I missed you, Daddy. I am so glad you're home."
His father wipes a strand of hair from Sammy's forehead. "Isn't there something you want? Are you also looking for a treat?"
Sammy stares up at his father lovingly. "No, I just want you, Daddy." He settles back into his father's arms and releases a deep sigh of complete joy and trust. "I just want to sit with you."
So, the question is, when you approach God in prayer, which kid are you? Do you come to Him with a list of requests, problems, struggles, issues, seeking His help or possibly a treat from Him, a blessing, or an answer you've been looking for?
OR do you come to Him just to be with Him, to hang out with Him, to enjoy His company? More importantly, which kid blesses the father more? Which kid will come to know Him more and grow closer to Him?
You see, this is the main issue I see with many Christians today. They come to God with a list of requests, even prayers for others. They spend the entire time in prayer talking to God and asking for His help, and then they say Thanks and go their merry way. Can you imagine how that makes God feel?
God the Father is after one thing. He wants a relationship with you. If you have trusted in Jesus for your salvation, then you are God's child. You've been adopted into His family. Think about that for a minute. You are a child of God. (Romans 8:15-16). He loves you as much as He loves Jesus. In fact, you are co-heirs with Jesus! That's insane!! Jesus tore down the veil between us and Father God so that now we can come boldly to Him and just hang out with Him.
Yes, we are supposed to put our petitions before Him. Yes, we should ask for His help with things, talk about out struggles and trials, pray for others and ourselves. The Bible tells us to cast all our cares upon Him because He cares for us! (1 Peter 5:7) There's nothing wrong with that. But remember, God ALREADY KNOWS your struggles, prayers, petitions, and requests. Nothing you say to Him is a shock. And He wants to answer you, heal you, and supply all your needs! He doesn't need to know your ideas on how He can solve your problems. LOL I admit to doing this at times, offering God my brilliant idea of how to save my Son. God knows the best way. He doesn't need my opinions!
All He also wants is a relationship with us. To put it simply, He Wants to Walk in the Cool of the Day with You. Just like He did with Adam. Like a friend, a companion. Which of you would meet a friend and just talk to them all about your problems and issues and never stop to hear from them? That friend wouldn't be a friend much longer!
So how do we navigate this? How do we cast our cares on Him but yet spend time just enjoying His presence. Some may say, Well, I can't see him, hear His voice, or touch Him, how then can I get to know Him. We must remember that He lives inside of us. He's always there and God is rarely silent. The problem is, are we listening? Have we developed our spiritual ears? That comes from simply being in His presence, keeping our mouths shut, focusing our thoughts on Him in an attitude of Awe and Worship. That's when you will hear from Him. That's when you will find your healing, your deliverance, your help.
Jesus is your healing. Stop praying for healing. Hang out in His presence and His healing will flood you. Jesus is your comfort. He is your strength. He is your provision, wisdom, guidance, love. He is your everything and your every need. All these things will saturate you when you spend time alone with Him and just adore Him.
As we approach 2026, this is my goal for the new year. To spend more time with Jesus without any agenda and in complete adoration. I hope you'll join me!
Hello Sister in Christ,
ReplyDeleteI read what Sammy lovingly said to his father and that is definitely how I long to be. Of course, I would still have requests here and there to ask the Lord, but I know it would please Him to give profound thanks and have faith, which I am sure He sees as evidence that we trust Him, Sometime it may be tempting to feel doubtful, but I guess this is where the real test of faith is administered and the main result is seeing how many truly trust Him out of love for Him in place of selfishness or ulterior motives.
You may have heard Netanyahu reportedly meeting with Trump to discuss the next step of the Gaza Plan but a major revelation is that they are planning to deal with Iran’s missiles and nuclear program. Also, from what I heard, it looks like there may hardly any progress with the Plan, especially with Hamas refusing to disarm and Iran continuing to rearm Israel’s enemies, restrengthening its military power, and resolving to destroy Israel no matter what it takes. This is just more evidence that war is imminent and the Rapture and Tribulation are very close? I think you mentioned in one of your past posts that if we get into 2026, it won’t be too long until they happen. Every day, I found myself looking up and checking regularly for End Times news.
With China reportedly conducting active drills around Taiwan, it seems like it really is true that war may be inevitable, based on the symbolism from the World Ahead 2026 magazine that you brought up recently. All I can say is keep praying and trusting the Lord for He is coming soon.
Last thing I would like to bring up is that there is going to be heavy rainfall again on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, which is interesting considering we had it last week on Christmas Eve (with a temporary break on Christmas) and then rain again on Friday. I wonder if these could be signs from the Lord considering the rain will fall on the start of the New Year. That reminds me of how snow fell in a desert in Saudi Arabia around Christmas when it is a rare event - last time it happened was like 30 years ago. Could this symbolize something for the New Year’s Eve from a divine perspective?
Thanks Sister for understanding that I am eager to keep learning and looking out for the signs in the time we have left, and that I am just as eager to return home to the Lord as much as you and all other saints are. Peace and Blessings from a Brother in Christ.
Greetings, Brother! More on the signs of the times on Friday's post. I'm seeking the Lord on how to proceed forward on this blog. But to answer your question, yes, I still feel we are close, very close. Like you, I am eager to go home! Blessings
DeleteI'm trying to spend more time with Jesus and specifically not coming to Him with a laundry list of a 'to-do's' I've created for Him. It's hard to quiet my mind, because as soon as I do a million other things pop up, but I'm continuing to put forth the effort. Although I do wish I could 'physically' crawl into His lap like Sammy.
ReplyDeleteAmy, I also struggle with this too. My mind goes in a zillion directions when I'm praying! The Lord understands. He knows your heart. Just keep moving forward. And soon, we will be able to crawl into His arms. !
DeleteWelcome back Precious Daughter of our Heavenly Father !
ReplyDeleteYou have been greatly missed. I love this MaryLu. I have been noticing that I often act like Mikey ! So this message is timely. I have taken note, or more than likely the Holy Spirit has been has been trying to put his hand over my mouth. 20 seconds of silence and i'm right back at it. I even tell myself to be quiet, lol. You wouldnt mind but one of my favorite scripts used to be Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I AM God ! I actually wrote an article on this once. Talk to a Jew about the language, and he said that the "be still" is liken to being dead, as a dead man. Be so shut up that you cant speak, or move, but you can hear ! Wow.
I think for most of us, we just get so busy right ? And it's hard to be quiet with so much junk swirling around in our heads.
Yet there are times when I worship, I slip behind the veil, into His presence.
I believe in Rev somewhere is say's "all heaven was silent for a half hour. I believe you said it also Sister in your beautiful depiction of Jesus giving up His throne to descend to earth ! I posted that last week.
I will say I miss worship in the church at times. It's hard to get alone up here in the winter. To darn cold. And worship in my room there are just to many distraction. Although at times my Daughter will come and close the door when I'm in the Spirit :).
I love the summer, in my gardens, my hands are busy yet there is so much peace there, and quiet, and I am able to listen to His voice.
Thank you Sister for this reminder. I am going to make this a priority.
Peace in Christ
I also wanted to mention, Mary sitting at Jesus feet, Jesus said she chose the better thing, and John who laid back on chest, and Jesus said he was the one he loved !
DeleteI hear you, Brother. I struggle with this too! I don't live alone and it's often hard to find that special time when I can just let loose and worship. The Lord knows. And then there's this crazy time period we live in.. everything moves so fast. People's attention spans are so short, including mine, Like you, I try and sit in silence and focus on the Lord but my mind is like the Everready bunny! I do pray when I go on my walks but it's been cold and rainy here.
DeleteBe still like a dead man. I love that. I'm going to try it. Maybe putting some tape over my mouth!
I want to be like Mary, not Martha. I'm asking the Lord to help me!! Blessings
Was thinking about all of this writing MaryLu. This is no small thing. We know that Jesus always went to a secluded place and prayed. I wonder how Paul found a place to do this ? Yet Paul wrote many of his most powerful letters from a prison cell. When I was reading through Rev last month the Pastor said something interesting. He said; the Governor had John boiled in oil, but it didnt burn him ! This greatly disturbed, and probably freighted the Governor and he just wanted John far away from him. So he exiled him to the isle of Patmos! It was a slave labor camp. John was probably roused out of bed at dawn and worked till dusk, and lived on little food and bad food at that. But it wasnt the Governor who sent John to Patmos to hide him, but it was God who sent him to Patmos to write the final book of the Bible and bring to light the absolute power and authority of Jesus Christ. Just a thought; how far away from safey, our comfort zone, does the Lord need to bring us so that we listen to Him ?
ReplyDelete1 Kings 19:11-13
ReplyDeleteNew International Version
11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
I used to do prison ministry. One of the ladies was struggling to quit smoking. One of the other ladies told her “Your problem is not smoking, Your problem is in abiding. Focus on abiding and the smoking will take care of itself. “ I have never forgotten that very insightful comment. She was right, we just need to do as Jesus said and abide more and more in His presence.
ReplyDeleteLove this! Thank you for sharing!
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