My friend Linda shared with me a prayer she prayed a year ago, God, I want a closer relationship with you. Help! Amen.
God’s answer was almost immediate, Stop achieving, start receiving.
“But to all who received him,
who believed in his name,
he gave power to become children of God;”
John 1:12, RSV
John 1:12 was the first scripture that was personal for me. As long as I could remember I believed in God, but it was not until that Sunday evening at church that I received Jesus as my personal savior. I prayed and invited Jesus to take over the controls of my life. I received his life into mine.
God’s love–the most important thing to receive
Receiving is a BIG deal! Jesus speaks of his followers to God in his prayer recorded in John 17, “For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.” John 17:8. As they (his followers) received the words Jesus shared, their belief followed.
In the same prayer, Jesus prays twice about God’s love for his followers. “… that the love with which you have loved me may be in them …” John 17:26. Amazing love, that God would love us (his followers) in the same way he loves Jesus. “… so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” John 17:23.
Receive, accept, trust–spiritual synonyms. I pray over these truths regularly. I want to receive and trust God’s love for me–the very same love he has for Jesus.
Why is receiving so important?
If Jesus could only love with the love he received from the Father, how much more important is it for me to receive the Father’s love, if I want to love well. John 15:9, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”
How do I receive?
- Review, review, review. Romans 15:15, “But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder …” My forget-er is in good condition, my remember-er not so much. Almost daily I remind myself of God’s love for me. I John 3:1 is one of my favorites.
2. For me, learning to receive is connected to asking questions, what is God really saying ___?
This morning I was pondering some scriptures on God healing the brokenhearted and how he is carrying our sorrows. I thought about my own reality in the midst of grieving Mom’s death. Those verses led to a lot of questions like how is Jesus carrying my sorrows? How do his stripes on the cross relate to my grief (not my sin, my grief)? I have no answers, but God’s promise of carrying my sorrows is burned in my heart.
3. And prayer. I often ask God to help me trust his words. Or, back to questions, what would it look like to trust, accept, receive his word today?
Every Sunday in church our pastor ends the service with a benediction. One pastor always asks us to hold out our hands as if we’re catching a baby he is tossing to us, this posture symbolizing receiving the benediction. It has caught on. No matter which pastor is offering the benediction, my hands are out to receive.
