It has always been...Your love.

When I wake in the morning with a joy I can't explain
As the sunlight peeks through the windows
My heart races with possibilities.

I walk down the street and my heart floods with songs: songs of Your grace.
I see the clouds set so perfectly in the sky, perched in a blue vault, vast and calm.
I begin to ponder about all that You've done for me...
It was the way You thought me out,
It was every moment of perfection made from this brokenness.
It was the splendor of roses, wild flowers, sunsets, and butterflies arranged so beautifully.
It was the way you knew what I liked, what I missed;
A bluebird lighting on a tree,
Not just one, but two, dancing merrily.
You reminded me that You had me in Your hand.
It was the way You showed me I can trust and let go,
The way You surprise me.
You are the only One who knows everything about me.
It was Your love,
Your love that sustained me,
Your love that surrounds me,
Your love that upholds me.
Jesus, it's Your love.
Your love conquers,
Your love sees and knows all,
Your love that is strong.

It's Your love that speaks to hearts and seeps deeper than any wound.
Thank You, it's this love I will never be separated from.

I need You more.

"I need You more than this breath I'm breathing, more than this feeling I'm feeling inside me. Without You, Lord, I am dead and hopeless. You're the only love that puts life in me." -Great Awakening

As I went about this crazy last week of classes I caught myself saying, "I don't have enough time right now" or "I guess I'll have to wait until later" when it came to time spent with the Lord.

The truth was... when would I find time if my sole desire was not to spend time with the Lord?

Yes, I may have thought that was my earnest intent; but if I had the desperation of Zacheus or the woman reaching for Jesus' hem in the midst of a crowd, I would make the time. If I was genuine in wanting to spend time with the One I love I wouldn't have just gone through the motions and said "that seems enough".

Now, I'm finding myself at the point near tears, apologizing to a Savior who so gently comforts me. These tears well up because He has given everything for me. He is the most gracious and loving of fathers and He is always there to comfort me. He waits for me to turn to Him, not just in times of need but to laugh with Him, to talk to Him, to tell Him my dreams and desires. Time spent with Him is precious and I want to take advantage of it.

I need You more.

More than the things that seem so important and vital,

You are my heartbeat.

You give me the strength to tackle these monstrous giants,

To scale these walls,

To move these mountains.

And now I hear you calling me,

"Where are you?"

I will skip through the garden to Your side

Anxious to hear what You have to say.

Envelop me in your love and grace

Let me look up into Your eyes,

Those eyes that pierce like light through a churning fog,

Those eyes that soothe like the sound of rain on a tin roof.

I want to be lost in Your love.

Pray...

without ceasing.

And without thinking the words burst forth.

It was one of those "aha!" moments where something that I have known caught fire and began to burst in the flame of passion that comes with revelation. I was talking with a friend about prayer and asking how I could better support her. I admitted with honesty that I had not prayed for her since the event I was praying about ended. Yet, I have realized that because one prayer is answered or there seems to be no dire need, that is no reason to stop praying.

"Why should we stop praying when the enemy doesn't ever stop?"

Those were the words that rang in my mind after they left my lips. We had just talked about unity and the picture came to mind of soldiers in disarray. If one wants to do this, and one wants to do that instead of following the orders of the commander, or even waiting to see what the orders are, what will ever be accomplished? And, furthermore, what injuries will occur?

We need to first lay ourselves aside and tune in to what God is doing, His heart, and hear the things that He is saying. We need to take the same passion that we place in so many other things and PRAY. God desires wholehearted petitions. No matter the eloquence or word choice, when we pray with a passion and with a deep concern something shifts. It is the hand of God. He is there waiting for us to cry out, searching for one, just one to stand in the gap. We could be one of those worldchangers that the Bible describes, moving God's heart with the words of one cry.

I have heard countless stories and I have my own of lives being changed through just one prayer. There have been stories of huge events in history, or shall I say well-known events (for nothing is too big for our God), with a big turning point that happened because of people's prayers. Politicians have been influenced through interactions with people that prayed for an opportunity to reach out to them. I, myself, have seen my prayers answered with a swiftness I did not expect. They were always simple, yet earnest prayers. Things in my own life that seemed impossible by the world's standards but, as I said before, they are not impossible with my God.

Sometimes I think that I struggle with going through routines and doing things because I know that I need to, but what would happen if I changed my mentality to one of partnering with the Great Intercessor? What if I had the persistence that matched the urgency of the issues at hand?

This life is more than just going through the motions and it is more than satisfying a need for things or even love and attention. It is a battle, a restoring of a kingdom, a rescuing of the lost and a healing of the broken. In this grand adventure prayer is key.