God-Centered Prayer: Week 1- God’s Presence
“The presence of God is hard to define, but His absence is easy to detect.” –Michael Catt
Do you ever feel like God is far away?
Prayer is often a list of requests, a plea for help and a desire to get an answer. Over the next five weeks, we will we take a journey toward “God-Centered Prayer.” The purpose of this series is to pray to God acknowledging who He is and what He has done in our lives. Prayer is so much more than self-centered requests. Let’s shift our focus from what we need from God and give Him glory for who He is. What if we went to God saying, “Hallowed be thy name?”
What if rather than praying for answers, we prayed for:
God’s Presence
God’s Power
God’s Peace
God’s Purpose
God’s Provision
When we change our focus from what we can get to the person of God Himself, we are tuning our ear to hear His voice. If our prayers only consist of us talking to God, we are missing the most important part of prayer, hearing God speak to us. What a precious gift, to hear God’s voice.
I sit down in my favorite chair. The dark brown leather seems to know me well. It holds me in a way that is familiar. I’m comfortable in my chair. I want to stay a while and enjoy the feeling of the familiar.
Before I can relax and enjoy the moment, I hear my name being called from upstairs. My child needs me. I want to go, but something in me does not want to move from my comfortable place. Again, I hear the voice of my child. Without moving, I call back as loudly as I can, hoping he will hear me. The hollering match continues as we try to throw our voices far enough to let the other hear the message being spoken.
Frustrated and a bit irritated that I have to move, I unfold my legs and put my feet to the cold floor. I take the journey up the stairs and kneel down by my child and say in a calm quiet tone, “What do you need?” Now we are able to communicate freely, without hollering, straining to hear and free from interruptions that hinder our communication.
When I get down and look into my child’s eyes, I see their need. I meet the need and get back to my comfy place. I snuggle down tight and enjoy the comfort of the familiar.
We know we need God’s presence. We long to feel God’s power. We want to trust in God’s promises. We want to know that God’s purpose is bigger than this life. We know God’s provision is all we need, but somehow along the way we get comfortable in our self-created normal.
We fold up our legs and snuggle down tight right where we are. When God calls our name, it is hard to hear. We strain and struggle to listen never moving from our self-created comfort. We want to hear God, to answer and to meet Him in the Holy place, but it seems too far away. It seems like it would take too much work to get there.
Let me encourage you. God is calling you. No matter how far away He may feel, He sees and knows the seat you sit in better than you do. He doesn’t ask you to climb the stairs or kneel down and look in His eyes.
He looks in your eyes. He lifts up your chin. He speaks softly into your comfortable place and calls you by name. Have you heard Him?
When you do, your feet will hit the cold floor, you will run to Him. His presence meets your every need. He is more than we can imagine. When you experience God’s presence you want to go back again and again.
Something happens when we get too comfortable in our own flesh. We get cozy and far away. We stop running to Him and it gets harder and harder to hear His voice. We want to hear, but He seems too far away.
Don’t be discouraged. God’s presence is not as far away as it may feel. Stop struggling to hear His voice from a place of confusion and comfort.
You are never too far away. Answer Him where you are. Kneel before Him. Let Him look in your eyes and lift up your chin.
Let God speak to you.
My prayer is that through this series you will find a new normal that is more amazing than any place you’ve ever experienced. God’s presence is a place I don’t want to leave. It’s too powerful, too overwhelming.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me. John 10:27
O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art aquainted with all my ways. Psalm 139:1-3
This is week one of “God-Centered Prayer.” Print or take a screen-shot of the calendar below and pray for God to reveal Himself to you right where you are.
Invite your family and friends to join us as we focus on God’s presence this week! Share this with someone you love!
Love and Blessings,
Micah