Luke 5
16But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Matthew 6
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“ ‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
1 Kings 19
12After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
Mark 14
33He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,”he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”
35Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36“Abba, Father,”he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
37Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,”he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour?
The secret of a close relationship with God ⏰
To build a relationship with anyone, you will need to invest time. As a parent, ideally, you will help your children with their studies, play with them, laugh, love, discipline, and teach them the secrets of life. If you are looking for a life partner, you will go on dates, walk, talk, kiss, and cuddle a lot. Relationships take time, lots of it.
The same principle holds true for our relationship with God. Although Jesus was the only Son of God, we see Him, too, leaving the busyness of life to spend time with His Father: “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16, NIV)
Do you spend time with God on a daily basis? He wants to spend time with you.
Jesus wants us to build an intimate relationship with Him and His Father. Eventually, we will be able to echo Him: “‘In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’” (Matthew 6:9-10, NIV)
It takes time, energy, and work to feel close to someone we can’t see or hear. It’s almost as if He is whispering to us in a foreign language behind a screen. Our times with God force us to shift our focus from a crazy loud world that’s in our face to an invisible God in another dimension, a spiritual dimension.
I’m convinced you can learn to lean into a close relationship with God, but it will take time. I want to encourage you to carve out time every day to tune into the “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12, NKJV). In Mark 14, Jesus challenged His three most intimate disciples: “And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, ‘My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.’ … Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour?’” (Mark 14:33-34, 37, NIV)
You may not be able to do one hour yet, but can you reserve 5, 10, 20, or 30 minutes every day? It’s my prayer these moments in silence with God will become your most productive times of the day.
We would like to thank Jesus.net for providing this plan.
Every Day With God 