Lately, the Lord has been speaking to me,
“Do you bring your hands to me or your heart?"
Can I be honest?
At this moment in my life, there’s a lot going on. From church planting to raising six kids and being a Professor, I find myself moving in many different directions. The truth is, I love it. I enjoy the sense of staying productive and doing things that will matter for generations to come. Yet, when I come to the Lord, I find myself.
Asking.
Pleading.
Questioning.
Am I the only one?
It seems in the midst of my busyness, I just need the Lord to do what I need Him to do so I can go back to the “regularly scheduled program” of my life. Lord, can you heal __________? God can you provide _______? Jesus, I need a miracle for __________. Lord, why can’t you _________? The truth is, every single prayer request are needs or the desires of my heart. If the Lord, would just answer them quickly all would be well. Right?
If you are still reading, I am almost certain you can relate. Perhaps, you feel an “ouch” in your spirit. This week, so did I.
Here’s the reality of it all. The Lord wants us to come to Him in our most vulnerable states. He wants to be our best friend, sounding board, guiding light and Father. Yet, He also wants us to come to Him and rest. He wants us to come to Him and just spend time listening to His direction. He wants us to come to Him and worship. Its not that He doesn’t want to hear our needs but its more than that. He wants to be in relationship with you.
As a mother of six, I see this so well. Some of my children simply love my presence. They ask for something occasionally like a snack or drink and continue about their way. They enjoy to sit on the couch with me watching a movie or talking to me. However, I have other children that are the opposite. They ask for things all day and are ungrateful when told to wait. They aren’t interested in being a help. They want what they want and see me as nothing more than an ATM, personal chef, and mom-genie. Though, I love all my children. There’s a high chance that given the choice between blessing the one who enjoys my presence and the one who only wants “stuff”, I would choose the presence seeker every time.
I believe this verse sums it up so well.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33
In other words, let your first action be to seeking God and living right. When you do so, the Lord will provide your needs. It seems today, we have our view of God’s role upside down. We forget He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the Creator of the Universe. Shouldn’t we spend more time in awe of even having an opportunity to speak to such majesty? Instead, we take our view of God selfishly.
Do this..God. Why won’t you God?
Christians have become entitled children and not lovers of His presence.
Do you bring your hands more than your heart?
Do you seek His hands more than His heart?
I have found that being a lover of His presence takes being intentional. It takes making a choice to pray with praise more than you pray with requests. It requires you recognizing that if God never gave you anything else, He has already done enough. It takes us being still and KNOWING that He is God alone. Though it may take much time to reach this part of our journey as Christians, I can say that the Lord speaks to me more when I go to Him in reverence versus a list of requests.
Today, my prayer is that you fall so in love with the Lord and just soaking in His presence. I challenge you to find worship music that speaks to your soul and spend 5-10 minutes daily just thanking God for what He’s already done. You will be amazed how your life will change when you change your heart on how you approach the Lord. Yes, tell the Lord what you need. However, let’s not get so caught up in asking that we forget to seek Him.
Victory Verses
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13
I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. Proverbs 8:17
Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10
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