One day, when I was around fourteen, my mom picked me up from my bus stop after school. As I climbed in the car, I saw a brand-new guitar sitting in the back seat. I asked her who it was for, and she said, “You!” I was shocked. How did she know that I really wanted a guitar? While I had been yearning for one in my heart, I really hadn’t been public with my desire. And, it wasn’t even my birthday or Christmas. She knew this desire of my heart because she was tuned in to me. She wasn’t some distant relative who was detached from my life. She was my mother and was present with me day in and day out. We had a close relationship and it was manifested in her caring, nurturing, love.

God is the same way. So often we treat God like that distant relative. We think he is out there somewhere, but pretty detached from our lives. The reality is that God is as connected to you, and as tuned into your needs, as a loving parent. He has the same type of love for you as a mother or father has for their child. He is tuned into the deepest desires of your heart and wants what is best for you. So, the next time you pray, keep this in mind. Your prayers are not evaporating into the thinness of space. They are being heard by your loving Father who knows you intimately and yearns to fulfill your greatest desires.

Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. – Matthew 6:8

Originally posted 2015-02-10 06:00:52.