2012: A Year to Spend More Time in Prayer with Jesus
The LORD came and stood there, calling out as before: Samuel, Samuel! Samuel answered, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10)
Jesus said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. (John 1:39-40)
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)
God the Father wants us to know that today, and every day, Jesus is offering us an invitation. He is inviting us to come into his presence and hear him speak to us just as he spoke to Samuel, even when he was just a young boy (1 Samuel 3:10).
When Jesus offered the invitation to Andrew and his friend to “Come, and you will see” (John 1:39), the two quickly stopped what they were doing and followed him (1:40). They must have felt honored that Jesus wanted to spend time with them— time away from the crowds, time just with them. At that moment, the only thing that mattered was that they had the privilege of being with the One whom John the Baptist had just identified as the Lamb of God. And their lives were completely changed.
Every day, Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart (Revelation 3:20). He is asking you to open the door, so that you can enter into his presence. He is inviting you to come and see the love and wisdom he has for you. It’s amazing, but it’s true: Jesus really enjoys spending one-on-one time with you, just as he does with each and every one of us. Jesus has so many things he wants to show you. He has so many ways he wants to reveal himself to you. Imagine yourself as a child, standing in wide-eyed wonder at the sight of something new and marvelous. That’s how Jesus wants us to approach our prayer time. What will I see today? What will the Lord say to me? How will he change my heart?
What a privilege it is to know that Jesus Christ, the Lord of all creation, wants to come to you every day and speak to you. He is just waiting for you to set aside time each day to come into his presence in prayer. He wants to fill you with grace and strength. He wants the words “Come, and you will see” (John 1:39) to be your refrain today and every day. Even if you already have a daily prayer time, let 2012 be the year that you set aside even more time each day to be with Jesus in prayer.
“Jesus, thank you so much for your invitation to come into your presence in prayer! Yes, I want to come and see all that you have for me each day. Open my eyes to the wonder of your love so that I can know you more.”
Many thanks to The Word Among Us (www.wau.org) for allowing me to adapt meditations in their monthly devotional magazine. Used with permission.
Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men
1. Take some time to meditate and reflect on the Scriptures at the beginning of the article. What do you think God is trying to reveal to you through them?
2. Do you believe, as the article states, that every day Jesus is “inviting us to come into his presence and hear him speak to us just as he spoke to Samuel, even when he was just a young boy (1 Samuel 3:10)? How important is this to you?
3. The article goes on to say that “Every day, Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart (Revelation 3:20). He is asking you to open the door, so that you can enter into his presence.” What are the obstacles in your life that keep you from hearing this knock and opening the door? What steps can you take to overcome these obstacles?
4. The Article ends with these challenging words: “let 2012 be the year that you set aside even more time each day to be with Jesus in prayer.” Are you willing to take up this challenge? If not, what is keeping you to do that?
5. Take some time now to pray for the grace to give your life completely to Christ in 2012, so that you will be able to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him. Use the prayer at the end of the article as the starting point.
