"So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise"
John 5:19
Jesus only ever did what he saw the Father do. He only said the things He heard the Father saying. If being in prayer means to dwell in God's presence and if prayer ought to be as natural and necessary as breathing, I pray right now, before I continue to type anymore, that whatever I'm going to say would not be of my own words, but Yahweh's words. My words are weak and my voice is small, but the groans of the Holy Spirit intercede for what words cannot express.
The way we tend to pray is like a child who has everything he/she needs, but is discontent and wants more. But, to truly make camp in the presence of God is to recognize that all our needs are met and, like the psalmist says, we can say," I shall not want". Through prayer, we can come to taste of Yahweh's enough-ness. He meets our greatest need and desire. If we learn to operate from this place as much as we breathe(and hopefully even more), we no longer operate out of a deficit, but of an abundance that allows us to pour out love as generously and graciously as Jesus did throughout his life.
At the end of Braveheart, after William Wallace is captured and he is shackled to a wall by his neck, arms and legs awaiting to be tortured to death, he reassures a visitor that he is at peace with his inevitable death, saying: "Every man dies, not every man really lives". In the similar way, Paul and Silas sat in jail singing. Jesus allowed his captures to take him. Like Paul, Silas, and Jesus, William operated from a place of contentment and certainty that allowed him to give everything he had so that his people who have never truly lived might know what it means to be free. Unlike Paul, Silas, and Jesus, William could not offer them what they truly needed: an abounding joy, everlasting freedom, and relentless, unconditional love. This is the remarkable strength and power we receive(INHALE)through prayer as we dwell in the Presence. It's not our own! This is why prayer is also a natural flow of declaration(EXHALE) of God's glory.
We live to serve out of a radical, infinite source so that those who have never lived may never die and praise the one who graciously provides this opportunity for us.
Yahweh help to dwell in the presence of your Holy Spirit and seek it more desperately than air, food or water!
P.S. so much of the truth found in all of your blog posts contributed to this blog post. Honorable mentions: Kristen, Mike O'Brien, Josh, Katy, Cody Fields, Emily, just to name a few. Thank you everyone for, as Emily put it, accepting Christ's invitation to be filled to overflowing by his love. All the posts are so encouraging and challenging, I want to go through and read all 50 again... I don't know if I actually will but there all so incredible! Thank you.
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