1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Romans 5:5  God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The one thing that has always brought me to my knees before Jesus is this:  He loves me.  He loves me.  He loves me.

Unbelievable!  Without any doing on my part, He has loved me.  He has chosen to love me.  He has seen me in my weakest moments, in my deepest sins, my good times, my bad times, my ho-hum times, and in those moments, He has loved me.  He WANTS to love me.  Not just in a conceptual way, either.  He has been so faithful to demonstrate His love to me.  Oh, how He loves to show us His affections!  I can’t even begin to explain how in every season, I have seen His goodness and faithfulness, and yes, felt His embraces.  And, I am fully confident that He has, is, and will continue to do the same for you.    

What I’m saying is, I’m in love with Jesus – because He is in love with me!         

This is why I love prayer.

What happens when you fall in love with someone?

You want to be with them – all the time!  You want to understand what makes them tick.  You want to know what’s on their mind.  You want to feel what they are feeling and share the things that they feel are important.  And, if it goes right, you want to give them of yourself. 

I always remind myself that we don’t have any “original” love for Jesus.  He loved us first, and He always will love us first!  He will always be the One found to move in our direction, way before we move in His direction.  I love that about Him!  He has loved me.  He has loved you.  So, all those those ways we feel when we are in love – He feels for US!!  He wants to be with us, ALL the time.  He wants to know what’s on our mind and heart. He wants to share what is important to us.  What matters to us matters to Him, because He loves us.

To spend time with Him and share ourselves with Him is the very essence of prayer.

But, even as we begin to share our deepest thoughts and feelings with Jesus, spending time with Him, and experiencing His love and affection in our hearts – we find that we want to respond to Him in kind!  I’ve discovered in me a deep longing to find out what is on His mind, and be with Him, doing what He is doing.  This is the place of prayer!

Once again, I find He beat me to it.  This was His desire first!  As He prayed in John 17:  24“Father, I desire those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25″Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

The deep deep desire of the Son of God is that we would be with Him, right where He is, and that He could share the depths of His heart — even share His glory with us. US!  You and me!  This is THE thing that He asked His Father for!

[stunned pause]

So, what is He doing?  Where do we find Him?  And, where does He desire for us to be?

Where He is:

Ephesians 1:21 . .seated .  above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

What He’s doing:

Hebrews 7:25 . .  He always lives to intercede.

Forever and forever, the place where Jesus has chosen to be is on His Throne, PRAYING!  And, it is our grand and royal privilege is to join Him there. 

To be with the King, ruling with Him, in the Throne room = Prayer. Wow.

This is why I love prayer.