I recently decided to get away alone for a few days to enjoy some quiet time and do a little writing. Because I like warm weather, I went to the beach. One day while I was walking along the sand, I stopped and watched the waves roll in and out.
In that moment, several thoughts filled my mind: God set the boundaries for this tide, the God who created the heavens and earth, who gathered all the water and separated it from the land. This is the same God who desires a relationship with me. How could this be?
I was in awe of the One who set the boundaries for the surf. I teared up. Why would such a powerful God desire time with me? Why would He ask me to talk to Him on a daily basis? My thoughts then turned to prayer and how I spend my time communing with Him.
Through prayer I have the privilege of entering into His presence to praise Him, seek His face—and yes, to make my requests known.
But prayer is so much more.
I believe one of the problems many people have is they think of prayer as their time to go over a list of wants with Jesus before rushing to the next thing on the day’s schedule. Sure, He wants us to bring all kinds of prayers and requests to Him. However, He wants more than that. He wants to communicate with us, just because He wants us.
Communication is a huge part of any relationship, and I have discovered that when I take time to communicate with Him, to share all that’s on my heart, my love for Him grows. I’ve also found that if I take a few minutes to ask Jesus if He would like to talk to me, our time together is even more enjoyable. You may be surprised what He will reveal to you when you stop long enough to ask Him to share His heart with you.
One thing is certain: you will find that praying is so much more than asking!
Additional Resources
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- Spiritually
- Relationally
- Physically
- Financially
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The study contains ten audio messages featuring Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, Tony Evans, John Maxwell and others. Now available for digital download. CLICK HERE to check it out!
