God-Centered Prayer: Week 1- God’s Presence
“The presence of God is hard to define, but His absence is easy to detect.” –Michael Catt
Do you ever feel like God is far away?
Prayer is often a list of requests, a plea for help and a desire to get an answer. Over the next five weeks, we will we take a journey toward “God-Centered Prayer.” The purpose of this series is to pray to God acknowledging who He is and what He has done in our lives. Prayer is so much more than self-centered requests. Let’s shift our focus from what we need from God and give Him glory for who He is. What if we went to God saying, “Hallowed be thy name?”
What if rather than praying for answers, we prayed for:
God’s Presence
God’s Power
God’s Peace
God’s Purpose
God’s Provision
When we change our focus from what we can get to the person of God Himself, we are tuning our ear to hear His voice. If our prayers only consist of us talking to God, we are missing the most important part of prayer, hearing God speak to us. What a precious gift, to hear God’s voice.
I sit down in my favorite chair. The dark brown leather seems to know me well. It holds me in a way that is familiar. I’m comfortable in my chair. I want to stay a while and enjoy the feeling of the familiar.
Before I can relax and enjoy the moment, I hear my name being called from upstairs. My child needs me. I want to go, but something in me does not want to move from my comfortable place. Again, I hear the voice of my child. Without moving, I call back as loudly as I can, hoping he will hear me. The hollering match continues as we try to throw our voices far enough to let the other hear the message being spoken.
Frustrated and a bit irritated that I have to move, I unfold my legs and put my feet to the cold floor. I take the journey up the stairs and kneel down by my child and say in a calm quiet tone, “What do you need?” Now we are able to communicate freely, without hollering, straining to hear and free from interruptions that hinder our communication.
When I get down and look into my child’s eyes, I see their need. I meet the need and get back to my comfy place. I snuggle down tight and enjoy the comfort of the familiar.
We know we need God’s presence. We long to feel God’s power. We want to trust in God’s promises. We want to know that God’s purpose is bigger than this life. We know God’s provision is all we need, but somehow along the way we get comfortable in our self-created normal.
We fold up our legs and snuggle down tight right where we are. When God calls our name, it is hard to hear. We strain and struggle to listen never moving from our self-created comfort. We want to hear God, to answer and to meet Him in the Holy place, but it seems too far away. It seems like it would take too much work to get there.
Let me encourage you. God is calling you. No matter how far away He may feel, He sees and knows the seat you sit in better than you do. He doesn’t ask you to climb the stairs or kneel down and look in His eyes.
He looks in your eyes. He lifts up your chin. He speaks softly into your comfortable place and calls you by name. Have you heard Him?
When you do, your feet will hit the cold floor, you will run to Him. His presence meets your every need. He is more than we can imagine. When you experience God’s presence you want to go back again and again.
Something happens when we get too comfortable in our own flesh. We get cozy and far away. We stop running to Him and it gets harder and harder to hear His voice. We want to hear, but He seems too far away.
Don’t be discouraged. God’s presence is not as far away as it may feel. Stop struggling to hear His voice from a place of confusion and comfort.
You are never too far away. Answer Him where you are. Kneel before Him. Let Him look in your eyes and lift up your chin.
Let God speak to you.
My prayer is that through this series you will find a new normal that is more amazing than any place you’ve ever experienced. God’s presence is a place I don’t want to leave. It’s too powerful, too overwhelming.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me. John 10:27
O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art aquainted with all my ways. Psalm 139:1-3
This is week one of “God-Centered Prayer.” Print or take a screen-shot of the calendar below and pray for God to reveal Himself to you right where you are.
Invite your family and friends to join us as we focus on God’s presence this week! Share this with someone you love!
Love and Blessings,
Micah
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I’m so blessed to be working through your 31 days of prayer, Micah. Now, I’m excited to begin this journey on God-centered prayer! Several months ago God spoke to me about praying for eternal things rather than temporal. This gives me so much more guidance as I pick up where I left off with that. No more hollering matches with God for me. I’m going to leave the comfortable place I’ve found myself and go to kneel at the foot of His Throne of Grace to soak in His Presence. Thank you for a beautiful post and an amazing prayer guide!
Janet, no more hollering matches – love that! :-) love you!
Hi Micah! I try to practice ‘prayer of the quiet’ myself. I don’t have children at home anymore, but my head more than makes up for that. Oy, quiet seems to invite all the squirrels out of their cages in my mind!
I love the point that we should do more than talk at God. Listening is so important, after all, I want a relationship with the Lord, not just a one-way street.
From #Find Stability Linkup,
Ceil
Ceil, I totally love your analogy of the squirrels haha! Isn’t that exactly what it feels like at times! Learning to listen every day! Love & Blessings!
“God’s presence is a place I don’t want to leave. It’s too powerful, too overwhelming.” Amen, amen!
Most of my best friends live far away, so when we see each other there’s that flurry of getting everything out ASAP…but then there’s that happy sigh of being able to just enjoy each other’s presence. Not needing to get something out it, but enjoying the company! I think praying God-centered is similar : ) Love your description of the comfy chair and being able to listen anywhere.
Thanks for writing! Happy to connect with you via #RaRaLinkup : )
Bethany, yes! Just enjoying being together, how perfect! Love your insight on this!
I love these 5 focus groups! It is funny how we get comfortable and forget to look for him. Thank you for the reminder to ask God to show his presence, even in the ordinary of our day. He is always faithful!
Samantha, Yes! He is so faithful! Thanks for joining us!
I struggle a lot with prayer. I don’t want to constantly ask God for things, and sometimes I just need to ask him to be close and just rest in him. Found you today on the Life Giving Linkup!
Amanda, I think it’s a struggle for every human being. Our world is so distracting. I hope you can rest in Him more and more. Love & Blessings!
I agree Micah. When I hear from God it is so powerful. It is amazing what I hear when I actually listen. Thank you for reminding me of this truth! I really need to do it more often!
Kelly, it truly is amazing isn’t it. I do too. I. Do. Too. Love & Blessings!
Loved reading what your wrote:
Something happens when we get too comfortable in our own flesh. We get cozy and far away. We stop running to Him and it gets harder and harder to hear His voice. We want to hear, but He seems too far away.
These are powerful words. Thank you for leading us to the cross.
Stacey, thanks for reading! I love that part too. It’s so real in my life. Love & Blessings!
He looks in your eyes. He lifts up your chin. He speaks softly into your comfortable place and calls you by name. Have you heard Him?
Yes ma’am! I have heard Him. Thank you for these words that reveal truth. His truth!
Susan, I always love it when you drop in! I know you completely get it. Love & Blessings dear one.
I am a recovering herion addict and I am alive and well and God even blessed me with my beautiful baby girl, Piper Grace. Though she is only 3 MO, I feel it so important for me to soak up all that I can from God and His Word so I can pass it along to her and raise her the way I should have been. I love this! You are an amazing writer. I wish I had the courage to blog because I love writing but we’ll see. Thank you for sharing this. I know I’m way behind but better late than never right!? ;-)
Wow! Ashlee! Thank you so much for sharing your story with me! How wonderful to hear what God is doing in your life! Congratulations on your precious baby girl! I love her name, by the way! I’m so glad you joined us and I hope to hear from you more! Maybe even through your own blog! If God is in it, He will give you exactly what you need to do it! You inspire me, Ashlee! Keep seeking God with all your heart! I am so thankful you are recovering and I will be praying for you!