Hungering for God

As I prepare to preach a series on prayer for the Lent season, I am reminded how important prayer is and how much I want to make it more of my life. Now that I have crossed the 50 year old threshold, I realize more time in prayer and less doing is more profitable. After going through a traumatic experience where we were let go by a church we served fifteen years, I rededicated myself to prayer and less doing. Over the last five years at this church, I sacrificed my health, my family, and prayer to try to take a traditional dying church and make it a healthy, vibrant, relevant church that was growing. In many ways I succeeded but there was a cost and I am still paying that today as I try to get the weight off and be healthier. Prayer has brought a peace and calm to realize it is God's church and my life and times are in His hands. I need to pray and do my part but I need to go home everyday, knowing I did my part and leave the rest in His hands.

So as I begin this series, I am hungering for more of God. It is like an itch in your back that you cannot reach but once someone scratches it, you are satisfied. I have a longing in my soul to be less productive and let God and others do more of the work. I am learning to relax and workout more without feeling guilty from being away from work and family. God wants me to have time for myself.

How is your hunger for God? Are you feeding it? Are you ignoring it? Are you allowing distractions and other priorities get in the way like I did for so long? Join me this Lent season in giving up something significant so that you can scratch that itch, that desire to know God more deeply and build a joyful relationship with Him.

Your thoughts on hungering for God and how to spend more time with Him. What will you give up this Lent season as a sacrifice to be committed to your relationship with God?