April 12


Wanting More of Us


The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.

Psalm 34:15 (NKJV)


The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.

James 5:17 (The Message)


One of the great spiritual disciplines is prayer. It’s one I look forward to every morning and throughout my day as well. The reason, I think, is because it draws me so personally close to God. And, it is at His invitation. He invites us to come boldly to His throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). He loves to hear our hearts, and so ... I come. I come because I have been invited, because He is so interested, and because I have found nothing else like this. He wants to be my friend, and I can hardly believe my good fortune, so I come. Eagerly. Expectantly. I pour out my heart, and He hears me. Granted, I don’t always get what I want, nor do things always unfold the way I think they should, but I have His presence and this promise: He watches over me.

I love Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of Psalm 34:15 in The Message:

“God keeps an eye on his friends, his ear picks up every moan and groan.”

Day in and day out, God proves His love and His faithfulness. It’s only when we stop to talk with Him and listen that we realize the truth: God loves us in powerful ways.


Father God, may so many more come to know of Your power and grace, and Your desire for more of us. Amen.