"Prayer is standing in the presence of God with the mind in the heart--that is, in the point of our being where there are no divisions or distinctions and where we are totally one within ourselves, with God, and with others and the whole of creation. In the heart of God the Spirit dwells, and there the great encounter takes place. There, heart speaks to heart as we stand before the face of the Lord, ever present, all seeing, within us. And there, in the place of the heart, spiritual formation takes place. . .
"The work heart is used here in its full biblical meaning of that place where body, soul and spirit come together as one. . . the word heart in Jewish-Christian tradition refers to the source of all physical, emotional, intellectual, volitional and moral energies."
~Henri Nouwen, Introduction Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit
This type of spiritual encounter with Almighty God is available to us at any time. It is too incredible for us to grasp and yet, too available for us to recognize it's value. This week we celebrate what God did through Christ to purchase this privilege for us. His death and resurrection wasn't only about escaping hell and going to heaven when we die. It was to open the way to communion with the Holy God.
So why do we resist the awesome honor of that communion?
We say we desire communication with God, but we're too busy. We ask Him for a lot of things, yet we resist the Spirit's wooing to come away with Him alone. I think our hesitance has to do with part of what Nouwen refers to above when he says, "There, heart speaks to heart as we stand before the face of the Lord, ever present, all seeing, within us."
Talk about hitting close to home! Talk about vulnerability!!
We don't like to be vulnerable. It feels unsafe--no longer in our control. While we honor honesty, we we don't reveal everything to anyone. No wonder we resist direct communication with this all-seeing Presence.
But we lose so much when we give in to that fear and resist that direct communication. Yes, He may enlighten us to something that is displeasing to Him, and bad for us; but we must remember, we are safe with Him. It was for this very purpose that Christ died and rose again. We are forgiven before we're even faced with our sins and defects. At the moment we turn to face the sickness He already sees, we are healed.
This Easter season, may we put aside our excuses, make time to commune with Almighty God--for Spirit to speak to spirit. And may we discover what we've been longing for all along. I pray for you, what I pray for myself, a regular practice of the presence of God.
So why do we resist the awesome honor of that communion?
We say we desire communication with God, but we're too busy. We ask Him for a lot of things, yet we resist the Spirit's wooing to come away with Him alone. I think our hesitance has to do with part of what Nouwen refers to above when he says, "There, heart speaks to heart as we stand before the face of the Lord, ever present, all seeing, within us."
Talk about hitting close to home! Talk about vulnerability!!
We don't like to be vulnerable. It feels unsafe--no longer in our control. While we honor honesty, we we don't reveal everything to anyone. No wonder we resist direct communication with this all-seeing Presence.
But we lose so much when we give in to that fear and resist that direct communication. Yes, He may enlighten us to something that is displeasing to Him, and bad for us; but we must remember, we are safe with Him. It was for this very purpose that Christ died and rose again. We are forgiven before we're even faced with our sins and defects. At the moment we turn to face the sickness He already sees, we are healed.
This Easter season, may we put aside our excuses, make time to commune with Almighty God--for Spirit to speak to spirit. And may we discover what we've been longing for all along. I pray for you, what I pray for myself, a regular practice of the presence of God.
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