We formed a tight circle, clasped hands, and bowed our heads. Words gently lifted up from their mouths, praising, thanking, honoring our God together. My tears flowed freely with the intimate exchange of gratefulness, this sharing of honest hearts. In the dark privacy of my closed eyes, I felt the slow release of locked doors being opened, my raw heart peeking around the corner, spying out safety. The soft lilt of women's voices comforted. The tender admissions of authentic need encouraged. The warmth and solidity of enclosed hands soothed.
In the silence between, my desire to declare love for my Father prodded my voice to lead out. Nervous of stumbling, afraid of words running dry, I began. A flow of words rushed, thanking God for His presence, the real connection of His Spirit with ours. Vulnerable and genuine, I confessed the current heartaches of my losses, I begged for His mercy to be lavished on those I loved, and I held tightly to the hem of His robe with my sisters in Christ.
The main focus of prayer isn't the eloquent words or heart piercing messages. The spotlight shouldn't be on fancy phrasing or highly spiritual requests. The power is in the intimacy of two or three gathering together, boldly approaching His throne of mercy, and pausing long enough to feel His power. When I listen to heartfelt prayers, beauty is in their willingness to share with me that scared space between their spirit and the heart of God. Honor is in the authentic soul that stands exposed and vulnerable. Connection is built in this most intimate confessions of our deepest faith.
Bowing before my gracious God, I know that He sees ALL of me. I smile at the reflection in my heart of His adoring love. It's in the knowledge that I am completely exposed and utterly cherished that I unload every burden, each worry and fear. I feel His tender gaze on me and I tell Him over and over again how much I love Him, how precious His grace is to me, and how much I treasure having a relationship with the Creator of the universe, and the Lover of my soul. I am in awe of Him. Tears of joy and gratitude flow freely down my cheeks. He is mine and I am His.
So often we hesitate to be vulnerable with those we love. We hold back just enough to create a perceived safety. We reign in emotions so as not to put ourselves out there too much. We control our tears, hide what frightens us, and turn away from sharing those deep stories that make us who we are. When communing with God there is a stripping away of those denials and hesitations. He understands everything about us, in much deeper ways than we even understand ourselves. He knows every story, every script written across hearts. There is where that sacred space is found.
Choosing to entrust that kind of holiness with another can make us anxious, can fill us with dread as we try to work up the courage to speak, can blow us away with the fear of our words just not being good enough! But praise God that's not what prayer is about!! Praise God we have an intercessor, we have someone speaking all the things we can't utter, we have our incredible Father cherishing our fumbling inadequacies, adoring our honest offering. And we have opportunities to connect in one of the most intimate ways with fellow travelers, grasping hands, speaking truth, sharing holiness in prayer.
In the silence between, my desire to declare love for my Father prodded my voice to lead out. Nervous of stumbling, afraid of words running dry, I began. A flow of words rushed, thanking God for His presence, the real connection of His Spirit with ours. Vulnerable and genuine, I confessed the current heartaches of my losses, I begged for His mercy to be lavished on those I loved, and I held tightly to the hem of His robe with my sisters in Christ.
The main focus of prayer isn't the eloquent words or heart piercing messages. The spotlight shouldn't be on fancy phrasing or highly spiritual requests. The power is in the intimacy of two or three gathering together, boldly approaching His throne of mercy, and pausing long enough to feel His power. When I listen to heartfelt prayers, beauty is in their willingness to share with me that scared space between their spirit and the heart of God. Honor is in the authentic soul that stands exposed and vulnerable. Connection is built in this most intimate confessions of our deepest faith.
Bowing before my gracious God, I know that He sees ALL of me. I smile at the reflection in my heart of His adoring love. It's in the knowledge that I am completely exposed and utterly cherished that I unload every burden, each worry and fear. I feel His tender gaze on me and I tell Him over and over again how much I love Him, how precious His grace is to me, and how much I treasure having a relationship with the Creator of the universe, and the Lover of my soul. I am in awe of Him. Tears of joy and gratitude flow freely down my cheeks. He is mine and I am His.
So often we hesitate to be vulnerable with those we love. We hold back just enough to create a perceived safety. We reign in emotions so as not to put ourselves out there too much. We control our tears, hide what frightens us, and turn away from sharing those deep stories that make us who we are. When communing with God there is a stripping away of those denials and hesitations. He understands everything about us, in much deeper ways than we even understand ourselves. He knows every story, every script written across hearts. There is where that sacred space is found.
Choosing to entrust that kind of holiness with another can make us anxious, can fill us with dread as we try to work up the courage to speak, can blow us away with the fear of our words just not being good enough! But praise God that's not what prayer is about!! Praise God we have an intercessor, we have someone speaking all the things we can't utter, we have our incredible Father cherishing our fumbling inadequacies, adoring our honest offering. And we have opportunities to connect in one of the most intimate ways with fellow travelers, grasping hands, speaking truth, sharing holiness in prayer.
2 comments:
BEAUTIFUL! You bring God to us through your writings as the loving Father he is, not who religion has made him. Thank you.
didn't mean to be "anonymous".
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