I Will Love You Here

Feb 2

How will you know Me unless you find Me? And how will you find Me unless you first see I am right here?

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)

Dear one, open your heart now. Open your heart even more to Me. I adore you. Know Me and then love Me–like I know and love you.

How is it that we know God the Father? How do we know Jesus? How do we know Holy Spirit? To know God–and not just know about Him–requires encountering Him and opening our hearts to receive his love.

Let's do that right now.

* * *

Retreat to a quiet place where you can be undisturbed for at least 30 minutes.

How are you feeling right now? Anxious? Tired? Excited? Joy-filled? As you consider what emotions you feel in your body and spirit, draw your awareness to your lungs as you deeply fill them with air. For a few moments, breathe slowly and mindfully, surrendering to God each concern and worry.

Jesus, thank You for being here with me. Help me to be here with You.

I give you_________(name specifically each burden you are feeling. Give each one to Him. Stay here for as long as you need, breathing deeply and intentionally, surrendering each concern.)

After you have given everything to Him, pause for another moment. Stay here; notice Him with you. You don’t have to say anything, but let your heart speak. Feel it respond to Him–maybe through words, but maybe not. Let your heart relax, aware of his love for you.

What is Jesus doing as you stay here with Him? As you surrender your imagination, allow Jesus to give you a picture in your mind of the two of you together right now.

Lord, I see…..

How are you feeling? What is He saying?

Stay here with Him for at least five more minutes. (Set a timer if it helps you relax and remain in this posture of openness, curiosity, and hope.) You might want to get out your journal and have a conversation with Jesus through writing. Or you might want to process your experience with Him by sketching (1) what He is leading you toward or (2) how He is making you feel.

Jesus:
You:

Next, stay in Jesus’ presence as you let Him draw you toward contemplating the following verses: Psalm 62: 5-7, John 15:4, and Hebrews 12:2:

First, sit with Jesus as your heart contemplates Psalm 62: 5-7. Know that He is with you, and you are reading these words together:

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
          for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
          my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
          my mighty rock, my refuge is God (Psalm 62:5-7).

Let your eyes fall upon each word, taking the verses in slowly. Which words are you longing to return to? Underline them or write them in your journal. As you notice what words capture your attention, what is Jesus conveying to your heart through these verses? What is it like to sit here with Jesus as you worship and offer the words of this Psalm to God? How does your soul “wait in silence”? In your journal, let your heart write out its response to God now.

Jesus, these words caught my attention…
This is what I hear you saying….

When you feel like Holy Spirit is drawing you deeper, move on to this next verse, John 15:4, and hear Jesus speaking to you:

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” (John 15:4).

Let your eyes linger over the verse, rereading it a few times and noticing what Jesus is communicating to your heart beneath the words. What does it mean for you, personally and practically, to abide in Jesus? There is no need to list what you think you should do to focus your heart on Jesus. Rather, consider how encountering Jesus right now, letting Him love you right now, might open your heart to loving Him practically during your days.

How does it feel to abide in Jesus right now?

Jesus, I feel…
I hear You say…

Finally, let your heart continue to worship Him, staying open and receiving His love as you contemplate Hebrews 12:2. Read it a few times, letting the Holy Spirit show you a visual of Jesus and His love for you at this moment. Let Him lead you to how to respond:

“[Look] to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

Jesus, I am looking to you now….

Continue the conversation with the One who loves you most. Stay, stay, stay.

Jesus, thank You.

Amen.