Words of Reflection
We offer many prayers during Lent. Prayers of confession, prayers of repentance, prayers of commitment and submission…these 40 days are a time of deep communion with God as we pour out our hearts to him and seek to be more conformed to the image of Jesus. We spend much of this journey to Jerusalem on our knees, crying out to God in faithful trust that he listens…and answers.
It is very unlikely that there is any one prayer God desires to hear from us more than another, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there is one simple prayer that brings a special smile to his face, and it’s this one:
Lord, I want to know you more.
The sad truth is that many of us who claim to be in relationship with Jesus are prone to treat it casually at times, causing it to languish and stagnate. We can take it for granted, and when we do, we lose sight of God’s call further and farther into his love, into a deeper and more intimate fellowship that knows no limit. The Lenten journey provides a counter to our casual leanings: as we meditate on the cost of our reconciliation we are exposed in all the ways we fall short in pursuing our relationship with Jesus with full passion and fervor.
This doesn’t happen to shame us or to tell us we aren’t doing enough. God doesn’t reveal our spiritual stagnation in order to make us feel guilty. He does it to draw us closer to himself, saying, “Gaze upon the cross. That is how precious you are to me. That is how much I desire to be in a relationship with you. I love you with an everlasting love and will go to any length to draw you to myself. The way has been made, the work is already done. Will you, in turn, draw near?”
Our response of “yes” to this invitation is this a prayer God is delighted to answer. As James reminds us:
“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”—James 4:8 (NRSV)
And if that’s not where we are right now, that’s okay. In fact, that’s kind of the point. This kind of passionate pursuit isn’t something we can just stir up within ourselves. It only comes as we drop all pretense and simply be honest with God. Maybe in that honesty we add a couple of words to our prayer:
I want to want to know you more.
Again, that’s a prayer God is more than pleased to answer. It’s a handing over of our hardened hearts to the work of the Spirit, and Lent is a powerful season to take that step. The cure for our spiritual stagnation is to stop pretending it isn’t there and hear anew God’s invitation to intimacy.
Will you draw near?
Scripture for Meditation:
“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him.”
—Philippians 3:8-9 (NLT)
Song: Knowing You (lyrics here)
Questions for Reflection
Can you remember the first, or a significant, moment when you realized that God desired to be in relationship with you? That he delighted in it? If that is a truth that you’re still seeking to know in your life, ask God to reveal to you in a new way the depths of his love for you.
How have you navigated times of spiritual stagnation in your walk with Jesus? When your passion for God seems to be in decline, are there specific prayers or practices you find helpful to keep yourself centered? If not, how might you ask God to be near to you during those times?
Try using this line from today’s song as a breath prayer: “I was made for You, to love and be loved by You.” Breathe in as you silently pray “I was made for You,” then breathe out as you silently pray “To love and be loved by You.” Repeat this a few times. Let the truth and beauty of these words feed your soul.