Thoughts for Life: #87 Close Relationship to God

C. Peter Wagner shares
again from his book, PRAYER
SHIELD: I like the way my
friend Evelyn Christenson
describes her prayer time.

She says it is no longer a "grocery
list" of a few minutes of praise
and intercession as it used to be.

"I've learned that my closet prayer
time involves so much of His
replenishing my emotional needs
—with God and I exchanging our mutual love.

There's much more listening on my part than before."

Evelyn speaks for many intercessors when she says, "My average day starts at 4:30 a.m. and I spend several hours alone with the Lord almost every day."

Her last resort, "thread-bare" time is two hours.

All Christians have a desire to be close to God. But the honest truth is that for the majority of Christians the time set aside for prayer is relatively short and the actual feelings of closeness to God during those times is not, for the most part, all that we hear the intercessors describing.

Intercessors are not just average Christians any more than evangelists or pastors or prophets or teachers are.

Part of their difference from others is not how many lost souls they lead to Christ, but their intimate relationship with the Father.

Relatively few would feel that their life goals were being fulfilled by spending 10 hours a day in prayer 365 days a year as do the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Anchorage, Alaska.

One correctly says, "Many cannot understand our lifestyle, not even many of our families." Then she explains, "But for us, this has brought us very close to God, and fulfills our potential."

Historically, one of the
most famous intercessors

is Julian of Norwich who

spent her life as an

"anchoress," cloistering

herself alone for prayer in
the early fifteenth century.

Her memory remains mainly
because of her book, Sixteen

Revelations of Divine Love,

which profoundly describes her closeness to God.

She directed her thoughts to those who "deliberately choose God in this life for love"; people she called "the little and the simple."

For a shortened version of her book she uses the meaningful title Comfortable Words for Christ's Lovers. The deep closeness of intercessors to the Father apparently has not changed much at least over the past 600 years.

(Emphasis added, and Google images)

Let’s pray:

Father, although we can't spend many hours with You in prayer each day, draw us aside at some particular time, to pray.

My desire to commune
with You needs to be
strengthened I know, so

please impress upon my

heart to see the
opportunities given me
during the day to pray.

As I sit quietly before You, I invite You to speak to my heart what I need to know for the day.

I ask this in the Name of Your Son, Jesus, Amen.

Today’s Bible verse: Eph. 2:18 "For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father."

Today’s quote: Starr Ayers – “Our God delights in our company and yearns for us to walk with Him. He is gentle and humble in heart. Our load is not too great for Him. He will help us carry it. Lean into His side and allow Him to lead you. It is there you will find rest for your soul.”

Some thoughts today: Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord because He was looking for it. He walked with God and became blameless in His sight. He was not perfect, but acceptable. We are made "perfect" in Christ Jesus.

- When we walk with Christ, we become like Him. Our insufficiency will breed humility before Him.

- Let God do a deep work in you to undo evil influences. You'll discover the "grasping" spirit you had will turn into a "giving" one.

29th- Thursday’s post: #88 Receive Words from God C. Peter Wagner

31st- Saturday's post: Feelings vs. Truth Kandy Wooter

June 1st- Sunday's post: How Long? James Cagle

1st- evening's post: Keeping the Family Ritual Sirmal Marthenis

A popular post: Peacocks and Their Kin The following are taken from OUR DAILY BREAD: "Male peacocks are resplendent creatures with iridescent blue-green plumage and elongated trains tipped with 'eyes' colored in hues of gold, red, and blue."