I think I heard a Gong...

When I first read that opening paragraph about people in China throwing mud covered balls of paper full of prayer requests at some lifeless statue, I was sadden.  This was their attempt at a prayer life?  to a dead god? And yet later it struck me that too many times I had approached my living God almost in the same way.  And again I was sadden.  I had a living God and yet I was NOT entering into a vibrant, living relationship with Him- one like He desired.  He had pursued me and at times all I did was come to Him with a list of wants. Those wants were often prayers of intercessions - wanting healing for others or things on others behalf-- but still, they were a list of wants.  GONG.  I was missing it.


But God....


He was pursuing me (yet again) and restoring my prayer time with Him.


And He did it in the most interesting way.


God reminded me of my "falling in love" process with my dear husband (with whom I just celebrated 23 years of marriage but that is for another post!)  Anyway, God reminded me of when Craig and I first met and how we couldn't wait to spend time together, to talk and share what had happened that day or what God had been teaching us.  We would anticipate being together and how a smile or a simple encouraging word would make all the other discouraging things around us look good.  God showed me how our relationship grew to the point that we could just look at each other and, through that look, communicate a thousand words.  God took me back some 25+ years to remember how my heart would flutter when Craig would round the corner and I would get my first glimpse at him (and just for the record - it still does that, esp. when he has been gone for a few days!)  We simply wanted to be together and we adored each other.  We still do.


After strolling through memory lane, I sensed the Lord saying to me "yeah..."  To which I responded with and "okay, Lord, you gave me a great guy and I am so thankful!"  And I yet sensed the Lord saying "umm, yeah, but...."  and in my head I recalled the rebuke to the church in Revelation 2:4....

"But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first."

Ding! Ding!  The light bulb lights and I get it. The Lord wants my affections for Him to be like my affections were when I first met Him some 36+ years ago.  He wants me to want to want to hang out with Him, to be with Him, to adore Him, to be in love with Him again.  I don't know if I can communicate this in words on a page.....it is so much more than just simply saying "I love you, Lord."  It is being caught up in Him and in WHO He is and in adoration of Him. 

Then the challenge came.  I was challenged to spend time in prayer where I only focused on praise and adoration of the Lord.  No intercession for myself or others.  Okay...I thought I can do this because I have been taught and have taught my kids the ACTS method of praying (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication).  I am conditioned to praying by praising the Lord first.  But God quickly showed me He meant LONG periods of time of praise and adoration.   He meant days where all I would focus on would be times of praise and adoration of WHO He is and WHAT He has done and is doing.  

I am not going to share yet what He showed me by doing this....but I want to encourage you to do it.  To spend time focused only on praise and adoration of the Lord.  It may take the shape of reading some Psalms, singing some praise music, or just quietly walking throughout your day with an intentional focus on praising the Lord.  See what happens..............