I guess I didn’t know what to expect. Not this, that’s for sure. I think I was hoping for a strong sense of peace, the peace Jesus promised. Oh, I got that. Not a constant peace, but still, a deep, detached-from-this-crazy-world kind of peace, whenever I put myself completely in His hands.
It was the love I hadn’t expected. It was the love I felt for God and Jesus whenever I was able to focus all my attention upon Them, and see Them in my minds eye, and feel Their presence within me, and feel Their love for me. That’s when my love for Them would show itself in the tears welling up in my eyes.
But it wasn’t just Their love for me and my love for Them that surprised me. It was my growing love for all God’s children. I now care, I feel, I anguish over their suffering, no matter how lovable or unlovable they are. But I realize that it’s not my love for God’s children that I feel growing inside me. It’s God’s love for the children that I now feel. It’s the presence of His Holy Spirit living within me and loving through me, for God is love. To feel God’s presence within you is to feel His love, and that’s what I feel. Much more than I’d expected.
It’s this inner presence of the Spirit of God and Jesus and their love, that God desires for all His children. And that’s what I pray for today, and every day. Dear Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, your Spirit be present and your love be poured into all your children on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen.
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1)
His Truth Will Set You Free 