Being With God: Just Be

The other day I was reading my Bible and having quiet time when something happened that changed my view of my relationship with God. I had been up since 6:00, started a pot of coffee and finished reading the daily One Year Bible readings. I had also just finished reading a chapter in Walking with God by John Eldredge. After I was finished reading I started my typical prayer time of sitting in the quiet listening for God to speak to me about the day and my life. I had just started praying when I heard my son’s footsteps coming up the stairs. This is my son that wakes up with a burst of energy and ready for the day. My immediate thought was, “Great, there goes my quiet prayer time.” Then another thought came to my head, “What if I invite him to participate with me.” So, I invited him to come over and sit on my lap. I told him that I was just about to pray for a bit and invited him to pray with me. It was great; we sat and prayed silently together for a few minutes. Just a few minutes praying together in the morning felt right…it felt good… it was a feeling that I had never felt before as a parent. After we prayed together he sat on my lap for a few more minutes and we simply sat together…talked together…were together. We didn’t converse in a very profound way; we simply talked about the day and about the things that he was excited about. I was able to give him my opinions on a few things. Nothing monumental happened. It was just felt right being together in the quiet morning and hearing him express his excitement about his life to me.




It wasn’t until later that it dawned on me that this must be what God meant for our relationship with him to be like: simple, relaxed, intimate, personal, real, honest and daily. James was simply being with his dad; I was simply being with my son. We weren’t following some ten step check list on how to know each other better. I simply invited him into my presence, onto my lap and we were together. I think of Adam and his relationship with God. The account in Genesis 3 says that Adam and Eve heard God walking in the garden. Verse 9 says “Then the Lord God called to the man ‘Where are you?’” God was not just walking in the garden looking for Adam; he was calling for him inviting him to walk with him. After the tragedy of the fall and sin the ability for true relationship was broken until Jesus came to earth and died, as a sacrifice, to restore that relationship. In the book of John Jesus prays for all believers, that we would be intimate with him as he is intimate with the Father. This intimacy comes from just being in his presence, not through rules, not through doing the right thing, not through acting like you are good enough to be a friend of God. To restore our relationship with God we start by simply entering the presence of God. Enter his presence, curl up on his lap, talk. Tell him what makes you excited, nervous, scared and moved. Then wait. Continue to stay in his presence and listen for his response. You may feel something that you have never felt before. You will feel a deep intimacy with a Father that knows you and loves you with all that he has.