May 22, 2013

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    God makes extravagant promises about our prayers. He assures us that if we ask anything according to His will, He answers. He tells us that if we believe, we will receive. He urges us to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking. And He always encourages faith.

    Still, we are reluctant to believe it. But tangibly there? Palpably present? Practically at our side? No, we're much more comfortable with theology than experience. We tend to accept the truth without expecting His touch. We don't want to ask too much.

    We forget that there is no such thing as "too much" with God. He has already given us the most enormous gift He could give; every other request we have pales in comparison. God sacrificed His own Son in order to pursue intimacy with us. Why would He make such a huge sacrifice and then withhold the very kind of relationship that sacrifice was meant to secure? When we pray a prayer for more relational closeness, we don't have to tack an "if it be Your will" on the end of it. It's His will already, It's His purpose for creating us. This is a prayer we can know He will answer.

    Yes, you were born to ask such things. You were designed not just to know about God but to know Him -- experientially. You were created to connect with Him, heart to heart, spirit to Spirit, face-to-face. When you pray for closeness, you are praying according to His desires as well as yours. How will He not give you what you ask for?

    "Lord, I know it's a bold request, but I can't settle for less than this. I want to feel You, to sense Your Presence, to know without a doubt that I am being held in Your arms. Please touch me in a way that lets me feel connected to You."

    from: The One Year Experiencing God's Presence Devotional/Chris Tiegreen