Communion with God – The Highest Privilege
So it's Sunday, which for some means a break in our Lenten fast! Since Sunday was the day on which Jesus rose from the dead, we take the opportunity to celebrate and feast in His honour on the Sundays of Lent.
The Heart of Communion
But we don't stop praying, or reading His Word, or partaking in the means of grace. And we certainly don't stop our close relationship with God. In fact, on Sunday – the Lord's Day – we are particularly close to Him as we worship with our church family and hear a word from our own preacher.
Let's remember, friends, that this whole idea of Lent is about communion with God. Or to put it another way, it's about deepening our relationship with God. Lent is not just a ritual or a tradition. The 40-day Lenten fast is a commitment to going deeper with Jesus, so that our hearts are primed to experience the Easter story in all its glory, this year.
The Kindling of Divine Love
Let's look at another Charles Wesley hymn to remind us of this. He writes:
"Talk with us, Lord, Thyself reveal,
While here o'er earth we rove;
Speak to our hearts, and let us feel
The kindling of Thy love."
"Kindling" is something that causes a fire to burn. Wesley here is saying that when God speaks to us, our hearts burn – and this reminds me of the men of the Emmaus Road who said to each other once Jesus left, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" (Luke 24:32)
Get close with God today in prayer. Perhaps you've been doing it all week, perhaps you haven't really been doing this Lent journey; either way, get close with God in prayer today. If you're listening to this before you go to church, take this attitude with you to church, asking God to kindle a fire of love in your heart! If you've already been to church, ask Him to keep the fire burning!
God’s Fiery Presence
As you face another week ahead, ask God for that fiery warmth within from His Spirit! And remember, it's all about relationship. It's no good doing all these religious things if we aren't seeking God's deep warm presence within. That's what it's about in the end, loving God more deeply as His fiery love blesses our soul.
He is willing to kindle that flame within you. Are you willing to seek His warm presence day by day?
I pray so.
