I enjoy going to church. Greeting people from week to week and exchanging hugs and words warms my heart. Singing songs about Jesus and blending with dozens of voices lifts my spirit. Hearing the spoken word gives me reasons to dig deeper in God’s word and find nuggets of truth that could help me through tough times.
Then one day I noticed something. The rich experience in church seemed to stop as I would exit the parking lot. Instead of drawing on the songs, prayers and messages, instead of inviting God into my circumstances, instead of walking with Him throughout my day, I would say a quick prayer, glance at a verse, and off I would go about my day. Then when the weekend rolled around, I drove to church and picked up where I left off.
This began to trouble me. Suddenly quick prayers and nuggets of truth weren’t enough to strengthen me in my walk with God. Why didn’t I extend my rich church experience into my home, into relationships and into my life? Why wasn’t God in the details of my life?
I turned to the Bible and began to understand what a deep relationship with God means. Daniel prayed by his window three times a day even though it meant he would be thrown into a lion’s den. King Hezekiah made his way to the temple and cried out to God about an army of warriors who wanted to destroy him and Jerusalem. Childless Hannah went to the Temple of the Lord and poured her heart out to God. She couldn’t bear living without having a child. And God saw them through their circumstances. He answered their prayers!
This was a “Wow” moment for me. I started to realize that my Christian walk was shallow. I made up my mind I would change. I prostrated myself on the floor and cried out to God. I asked God to forgive me for treating spiritual things so trite. I called out the names of family members and friends, I talked to Him about life’s circumstances, and I asked Him to take out my heart of stone and to give me a living heart; a heart that embraced Him all the time. When I finished praying, I felt that I had poured everything within me into His hands and the trouble stirring within me lifted.
Today, my first waking thought is to talk to God. When I face difficulty, I am quick to invite Him into my life and ask Him to walk with me. And now I eagerly read or listen to the Bible and ask God for wisdom and understanding. My life has changed. No longer is my church experience a weekend gig. Now, I find myself praying, singing and praising Him all the day long.
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