As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.  John 15:9 We have all watched loving adults bend low or kneel down, making themselves small so they can be face-to-face with a child.  Parents do this instinctively out of a desire to connect and be present to the child.  Out of loving desire to relate to small ones, big people make themselves temporarily small. Our … [Read more...] about Encountering the Love of God in Jesus

My beloved spoke, and said to me: “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo. the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land…My beloved is mine and I am his. Song of Solomon 2:10-12,16 Prayer is intimacy with God. Our Maker, our God, seeks intimacy with us. Intimacy … [Read more...] about Knowing Intimacy with God as Prayer

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through the Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge. Ephesians … [Read more...] about Christ Dwelling in Our Hearts as Prayer

And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:16 Sometimes prayer is receiving God’s blessing. Sometimes prayer is allowing Jesus to gently place his hands on us and speak words of blessing over us. To bless someone is to envision a positive future for them. It is to speak of the promise of God’s care and provision throughout their lives. We … [Read more...] about Being Blessed by God as Prayer

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:9-10 Prayer is knowing that wherever we go, wherever we are, we are held securely by God. We might pray this way by reflecting on images of being held by Love. We might sit quietly for a few minutes and feel ourselves held securely in … [Read more...] about Being Held as Prayer

The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 Prayer is taking in God’s delight in us. Prayer is being quieted by God’s love. Prayer is listening to God sing songs of joy over us. Whether our parents delighted over us or not, whether our parents quieted us … [Read more...] about Hearing God’s Love Songs as Prayer

The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 Prayer is taking in God’s delight in us. Prayer is being quieted by God’s love. Prayer is listening to God sing songs of joy over us. Whether our parents delighted over us or not, whether our parents quieted us … [Read more...] about Hearing God’s Love Songs as Prayer