The subject matter was prayer, and I was bothered by the repeated assertion that prayer is difficult and something we have to do rather than get to do. I didn’t like it, and I had to constantly remind myself not to be critical, judgmental, or haughty about the subject, simply because my devotional time is a joy rather than a chore.
Perhaps any “difficulty” in prayer is in our perception of the word. We put the pressure on us – that we must perform appropriately – say the right words in the right way to get the right response from God.
My experience has been different from that. To me, prayer is a chance to simply sit with God for a bit and have a chat. What an incredible privilege it is, that the God of the universe makes time to converse with each one of us whenever we want to meet. Because that is what prayer is – a meeting of our hearts and minds with His. And during that focused time together we relate to one another in a variety of ways – yes, conversationally, but also through the reading of His Word, the words of others, songs, pictures, jokes… you name it, God will use it to relate to His child.
And the result? I believe the fragrance of God lingers on me long after I’ve moved into the tasks of the day, and I hope that the people I come in contact with are then drawn to God themselves by catching a whiff. May it be as Jean Schmidt says in her book, Wake Up with Purpose, “But I… like to think people were interested in me because whether they realized it or not, they wanted to be close to God.”
Amen.
“But thanks be to God, who… uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.” (2 Corinthians 2:14 NIV)
(picture credit: Unsplash/Mediamodifier
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Thanks for visiting and sharing your thoughts! I appreciate your time. :)