Enjoy a Living Relationship

To truly follow Jesus, it takes both knowing God’s Word and knowing Him — the Word made flesh. Prayer without the presence of God can be dry and boring — a mere unfulfilling religious exercise.

The religious Pharisees of Jesus’ day did exactly that. They were rigid and proud, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. They knew so little of the living God that when His Son, Jesus, showed up, they didn’t recognize Him! In fact, they rejected the very One they had been waiting for! Their proud, hardened, and unmerciful hearts closed their own spirits from receiving His great love for them.

Can that happen to you and me? We don’t like to think so, but no one is immune from pride and religious attitudes. It can happen little by little. Without a relationship with the living God, the Word can become dry, and it becomes difficult to perceive the life-changing revelations that He so longs for you to receive.

Even the slightest contact with God’s presence in prayer and fellowship with Him will open your heart to want more of Him. Every moment of fellowship with His Spirit makes you more receptive to the revelation of His Word and makes it more alive and full of power in you.

Yes, the Word is alive and active and full of power! We can speak it in faith and get results, but we must also open our hearts to get to know the One who wrote it and endued it with His own power. A rich life of communion with Him will make alive your prayer life in ways you never could have imagined. Walking arm-and-arm with Him is a privilege and a delight reserved just for you — His covenant child purchased with His own blood!

As you spend time in the Word and prayer today, take time to seek His wonderful face and communicate with the One who loves you and longs to reveal the secrets of His kingdom and the fullness of His love. Stay in fellowship with Him every moment of every day. And as my grandmother proved, you can even do it in your sleep!