There is something about intentionally getting quiet before God and expectantly waiting to hear from Him. For a long time I thought I could only do that if I changed my location. So youth and young adult retreats became a favorite past time for me. God, however doesn’t need us to change our location in order to speak, just focus and a desire to hear from Him.
That’s one of the reasons I really appreciate the season of Lent. It’s not only giving something up in order to identify with the suffering of Jesus, but it’s also a great opportunity to re-evaluate how we approach our private time with God. Our relationship with God can sometimes become a routine, another thing to check off our ‘to- do’ list as opposed to something dynamic and life giving. It is an opportunity to refocus on why it is important to spend time with God, learning about who He is and what He says.
Jeremiah 29: 13 says “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.” The intention behind why we are seeking God is just as important as the seeking itself. Are we coming to Him with a longing to know who He is and to have the Holy Spirit help us to look more like Jesus or are we coming solely to have our needs met? Do we approach our quiet time with God as an opportunity to list off all our requests and then end with ‘Amen ’or are we allowing space for God to speak to our hearts? God not only wants to meet our needs and provide for us He also wants us to know Him more, to grow in our faith and dependence of Him. Use this season of Lent as a chance to really dig deeper into your faith and experience how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:18).
by Kalesha Peters
