His face turned towards you (2)

We may have noticed when parents talk to babies in a weird, adoring language and don't realise they're doing it? It's immensely intimate and private. But they do it because it is the most tender language they know. Jesus' prayer life demonstrated an intimacy like this. He called God 'Abba', which meant 'Dada'. 'Abba' was a Jewish child's first word, because it was so easy to say. Somehow when Jesus was with God, the tender love that an adult offers to a child to give them strength is what he received from his Father.

Most of us crave this sort of love. Though we may have a 'head knowledge' of God's love, we may never have 'known' it in a heart way - a way that makes us vulnerable and gentle and settles our anxiousness. It's a love we can trust to fall back on when we doubt or are scared or tired. God doesn't hold this sort of love back from us, but often we don't go searching for it.

You can practise searching today. But you'll need to prepare yourself for it and be available to God.



So what now? Find a chair and sit down. Slow your breathing for a few moments. When you're totally relaxed, take a short phrase from the Bible and slowly speak it out. How about today's verse? 'The Lord make his face shine on [me]' is a good place to start. Repeat it, until you sense that your belief about God smiling at you has lodged in your heart and not just in your head.





— SCRIPTURE —

'The Lord make his face shine on you.' Numbers 6:25 NIV
— SOULFOOD —

Eze 37:1-14, Matt 27:50-53, Eph 1:18-21