“Praise the name of the Lord; praise Him, O you servants of the Lord! You who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of God, Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good. Sing praises to His name for it is pleasant.”
Psalm 135:1-3
“I love you, Mom.”
I turned from my dishwashing to see Daniel standing with his arms outstretched, begging for a hug. I dried my hands, wrapped my arms around him and said “I love you, too. Okay, what do you want?”
“Nothing. Why do you think I want something?”
“Because that’s how you always come in here asking for something.”
“No, not today. It’s just because.” Daniel hugged me again and went back into his room.
I know I stood there in shock for several moments before I resumed my dishwashing. Even now I’m not completely convinced he wasn’t looking for something and just changed his mind at that last minute. The whole “I-love-you-mom-here’s-a-hug” routine is the normal precursor to “Mom-I-want-can-I-have.”
God’s children are like that. For most of us, our prayers go something like this:
“Oh God, thank you for today, please forgive me of my sins, thanks for the bonus in my paycheck. By the way, please give me…”
God does want us to present our needs and desires to Him. The Bible tells us to bring our petitions to the Lord. But, He also wants our praise and worship. He wants us to spend time with Him just saying “I love you Lord. I praise You for being You. I exalt Your Name.” Not because of what He can do for us and what we want from Him, but just because He is our Lord and Savior.
I have a friend who calls me only when she needs something. If I call her to just say “Hi” and to talk, unless she is having some major crisis, she doesn’t have time to talk. It’s impossible for us to just have a regular, friendly conversation. Honestly, I’ve quit calling her. I want to be more to her than a psychologist, financial advisor, relationship repairer, child rearing expert, and legal consultant. I want to be her friend. I want to share it all with her – laughter, tears, joys, and problems.
God wants us to come to Him the way I want my friend to share her time with me. He wants us to share EVERYTHING with Him, not just our troubles and pains. He wants to laugh with us when we laugh and feel the joy that we feel.
Talk to God today just because. Spend time with Him just praising Him, thanking Him for everything in your life, from the daily provisions to the extraordinary happenings. Just tell Him you love Him, not because you want something, but because you want to spend time with Him.
