I recently wrote about time away with God. I wanted to expand on that idea just a bit. I am firm in my theory that there is not one way in particular in which we should spend our time with God. Nor a location. Sorta.
When Christ came he gave examples, but he didn’t say it should occur in a garden, at a table, etc. He said to present our petitions to God in a simple and not flashy manner. (Matthew 6.5) He also said God is fully aware of our hearts and our needs (Matthew 6.8). Christ told us to do this in private. What does that mean?
Have you ever been so desperate that you had wished you were naked? Yes, naked. Naked in emotion, naked in thought, naked in expression. When Adam and Eve were naked in the garden they were without the desire to compare. They were fully, one hundred percent themselves before God. I have prayed for a friend in a public place and wished for a place in which I was alone. Years ago, I was urged to get on my knees and pray in the middle of a congregation of 500+ people. It was a very private prayer, spoken in my heart and it was initiated by a nudge from the Holy Spirit in a unique way. As I prayed, my heart longed to be alone. I am tearful person, but in this moment I felt myself being held in check (as much as that is possible given the situation). At another time, I was alone in my living room. It was the middle of the night. I had worship music playing quietly when I felt this urge to get down prostate before God. In the moments that followed, I wept, I cried out uninhibited by the eyes or ears of others. I was truly naked before God.
We live in a world that is obsessed with appearance and right behavior. I ask you this, can your spirit worship in a space that has eyes that judge? Prayer can happen in the ordinary of a day. Driving or walking in a crowd does not necessarily hinder prayer. But, being in the presence of God where you feel connection to your core rarely happens in those moments. Christ stole away to a place of privacy. A place where he could be real and have an intimate conversation with the one whom he loved beyond any other.
Blessings in your journey my friend. Find a moment to soak up the God who never forgets or disregards you.
Monica Swank 