Welcome to Week #2 of our 21 Days of Prayer. I’m not sure how this season of prayer has been for you thus far, but for me, it’s been ‘slowly’ encouraging. And here’s why I say ‘slowly.’
I’ve been on a journey of ‘learning’ prayer for the past two-decades… and just so you know, I’ll be learning prayer until the LORD calls me home.
But that being said, every time I sit down to pray, whether I’m by myself or with you, the GENESIS community for our evenings of prayer, I have this thought running through my heart and head…
“Will the LORD show up in a uniquely powerful way this time?”
And just so you know, I’m defining ‘uniquely’ by lights flickering on and off, or maybe the room I’m praying in shaking a bit. Sounds silly, I know. But truth be told, when prayer begins, I’m always wondering if ‘something’ like that might happen.
Why do I think that?
Why does my heart and head go to that place?
Well, without psychoanalyzing myself too much right now, I think the answer is really simple…
I WANT TO EXPERIENCE GOD
That’s a good thing. And if you also want to experience God, please know that this is a good, dare I say, a godly desire. But what I have to keep in check (maybe you do as well) is that what I’m actually longing and looking for is God, and not just some ‘experience’ of God.
As you might imagine, there is a massive difference between the two. Wanting the room to shake or the lights to flicker on and off, not saying the LORD could not manifest Himself in that way, but that is clearly just wanting to experience something out of the ordinary. Again, God can do that, but I honestly think He protects us from that, so we don’t fall prey to pursuing experience over His Presence.
As I continue to learn prayer through practicing prayer, I am thankful that God wants me to experience Him, and more times than not… ok most of the time, it has nothing to do with some sort of external experience.
For me, I experience God most profoundly, and most clearly when three things are happening…
- My Bible is open ready to listen to what God is saying.
- My journal is nearby ready to write down what He’s saying.
- And I’m with the people of God listening to how other people are talking with God.
Nothing fancy in that, actually, it’s all very simple, but that’s how the LORD meets with me. Or to say that another way, that’s how I experience the Presence of God in prayer.
As we begin the next week of our 21 Days of Prayer, I’m praying that we’d ALL experience the LORD in powerful and profound ways. And more than anything, I’m grateful that without fail, anytime we choose prayer… God chooses to meet us in that place.
