“In peace I will both lie down and sleep;” Psalm 4:8 // Peace

One of my habits is that I pray each night before I go to sleep.  I pray in the mornings too, but there’s something about praying in the dark at the end of the day that is somehow more calming, more intimate than praying in the bright sunlight of morning.  I seem better able to sense His presence and to feel His attention on me.  And, I rest better knowing that the last conversation I had that day was with the Lord.  He seems to say, “Rest now, my son.  You’ve done all you could with the day you had.  Leave the world and its cares to Me.  I’ll watch as you sleep.”

A “WOW” Moment.

As I was praying the other evening, I was struck by a thought.  I realized that there are few times when I am as peaceful, when I am as happy, or when I am as free from fear as when I am in prayer with God.  It dawned on me, “No wonder I feel so peaceful and content.  I am in the presence of the Lord.”

When I truly focus on Him and our communion, everything else vanishes.  There’s only Him and me, and we’re so “into” one another that there is, literally, nothing else but “us” at that moment.  It’s like a foretaste of Heaven where our communion with Him will be perfect and never-ending.

That was a real “WOW” moment for me.  I’ve been a Christian my entire life, and have prayed thousands of hours before that moment.  My prayer time has been meaningful, and I’ve never not felt God’s presence in my life.

I had been calmed before.  My fears had been eased many times.  And my strength and determination had been renewed time and again.  But I’d never realized until that moment, why I’d enjoyed all those benefits.  It was because, when I am with God, nothing else matters!

When I am focused on communing with Him, He is all there is.  Everything else, “evaporates.”  I finally realized what people mean when they say that they are “lost in the Lord.”  For at that moment, in that time, there was only Him.

Further Thoughts.

Now, I’m not suggesting that prayer is more effective or more beneficial at night.  As I’ve already said, I pray several times during the day, and I’ve felt just as close to Him at those times as I did the other evening.  I know several people who begin their day with a time of devotion and prayer, and, for them, that is the most precious time of the day.  We can speak to God at any time because He’s always there and available.  All I’m saying is that’s when the revelation struck me.  It wasn’t until that moment that I realized why my prayer time was so important.

A Favorite Hymn.

One of my favorite hymns is “In the Garden,” written by C. Austin Miles in 1913.  The hymn is an offering of praise for prayer.  In it, the singer speaks of walking in his garden with God as his companion and how important those times are to him.  The refrain is, for me, especially meaningful.  Here it is:

“And he walks with me, and he talks with me,
and he tells me I am his own;
and the joy we share as we tarry there,
none other has ever known.”

I have heard those words sung hundreds of times, and I’ve sung them countless times myself.  I’d thought I understood what Mr. Miles was saying.  And I had definitely experienced the feelings he expresses so very well.

But it wasn’t until the moment of my revelation that I was able to understand why those words were so important to me.  And it wasn’t until then that I could articulate the feeling that I’d enjoyed all these years.  I am very grateful for the understanding and for the opportunity to explain why my times with Him are so important to me.

Truth.

Now, I’d be lying if I said that I have that same mountaintop experience every time I pray.  I have times when I just cannot seem to connect.  There are times that I know that He’s there and that He’s listening, but I don’t experience the same feeling of intimacy or “oneness” as I’ve described above.  Sometimes, I leave my prayer feeling as though I’d been talking only to myself.

But I have that same experience with almost anyone else I know.  My wife and I communicate better at some times than at others.  And my children have frequently told me that they had no idea what I was trying to say.  Communication is difficult for us humans, and misunderstandings are frequent.  But when we do “connect,” we know it.  That’s how I felt the other night, and that’s what Mr. Miles is talking about.

Because when we do make that link with God, the feeling is like no other!

Some Suggestions.

If you feel the same “connection” when you pray, then I thank God for that gift for you. You already understand what I am saying.

However, if you don’t “feel” it when you pray, or if you have trouble knowing that you’ve been heard, I offer the following ideas for you to consider.

1. Pray with expectation.  God IS always there, and he does always hear you.  But like any other conversation, we must expect a response before we can hear or understand it.  If we’re not expecting an answer, it’s unlikely that we’ll recognize it when it’s given.
2. Pray with patience. God always hears us.  And, He always answers our prayers, although not necessarily in the timeframe or in the manner we desire.  So, let Him be, well, Him. Trust that He has heard you and that He will answer you in the manner that is most beneficial to you.
3. Pray with humility. God does not exist for our benefit.  We exist for His.  We are His creations, and while He wants what is best for us, we’re not always good at understanding (or even appreciating) what that means.  Sometimes, the medicine is bitter or smells bad!  So, we should trust Him to “know best” and acknowledge that He is the Lord, not us.
4. Pray with openness. We’ve got to be willing to hear what the other person is saying before we can communicate.  Conversations tend to be most effective when we remain open to new thoughts and ideas, and we try to really hear what the other person is saying.  If we’re “closed down” when we pray, we can easily miss His presence and His answer.  When we are “open,” we’re more likely to hear and understand Him.

Use these as you think best.  I know that when I pray with them in mind, my prayer time is much more meaningful.

Thanks.

Thanks for allowing me to share these thoughts with you.  I pray that in your prayer time, you too can experience the joy and wonder that “In the Garden” expresses.  And that you too will enjoy happy dreams after your times with the Lord.

God’s Blessings on You All,

Richard

April 17, 2020