My day usually starts with prayer, a study, a devotion or some combination of these things. During the week I go to my office a little early so that this time is uninterrupted. I use the top of a short bookcase to hold my office bible. My women’s group is doing the Experiencing God study by Blackaby. At the end of every lesson, it asks you to pray and identify over which scripture or comment that He wants you to understand, learn or practice. It asks you to reword the statement or scripture into prayer response to God, then what God wants you to do in response to today’s study.
My identified statement was: God speaks by the Holy Spirit, through the Bible, circumstances, and church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.
My prayer response was: Lord may I always seek you with all my heart, in every circumstance, in every decision. May your voice be clear to me.
What God wants me to do with study from that day: Strengthen my relationship with God.
So let me say that I was a little taken aback by the last one, “strengthen my relationship with God.” I have been giving my first and last thoughts of the day to God daily since I accepted Jesus in my heart. The way I pray has grown and evolved along with my faith. I am visual and when I prayed I started visualizing being at Jesus feet. I related to the sinful woman weeping at Jesus feet, washing His feet with her tears and wiping His feet with her hair and putting perfume on them (Luke 7:36-50). Therefore, when I pray, I visualized myself kneeling at Jesus feet out of deep reverence. I would take every opportunity to look up scripture I came across in devotions and studies, I would take note of ones that had presented repeatedly or made me think of someone.
So when I pray for what God wants me to do with today’s study and I get “strengthen my relationship with God” I opened my eyes and was a bit baffled by what that could mean because all I have done was that, albeit at my own human pace and understanding. So I closed my eyes again, visualizing myself at His feet and asked Jesus “how do I get closer with you?” The response came quick as a visual, His hand open and extended to bring me to my feet and stand before Him. He didn’t want me at His feet because I was worthy of standing before Him and walking along His side.
It was overwhelming. Strengthening my relationship with Him meant standing before Him. It was as much an affirmation of my own worth, as it was a demonstration of our Lord’s kindness and love. I shared this with a dear friend and she reminded me that I would never want my children coming to me at my feet, and it’s no different for our Heavenly Father.
So now, when I pray I imagine standing before Jesus with my hands in His.
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