One of Christianity's best-kept secrets is that God is pleasant company. I discovered this almost by accident when I began to take prayer seriously. I don't remember anyone telling me that I would ever reach a point where I would begin to enjoy God's company. I remember being around people who were passionate about prayer, very spiritual brothers who prayed with fire and passion, and I wanted to pray like them, convinced that this was how one should pray, and so much the better, because that's how it is. Then I experienced the dull, lifeless, and dreary prayers of overly laid-back charismatics who criticized me for crying in prayer, convinced that it was due to some deep dysfunction in my life. Now, we had a word for that, it's called intercession.
When God started pushing me to stay in communion with Him all day and not just a few moments in the morning, I said to myself 'oh no, He wants to make me a fanatic' and I could already see myself living a boring life where I was now forbidden to have fun, after all who wants to talk with God all day? But as usual He proved me wrong and He was right. So the announcement is made, for all those who need to hear it, God is frankly pleasant company. Obviously to come to love being with Him, you will have to say goodbye to laziness and letting go and let yourself be reshaped by Him; it will require a change of perspective and rid yourself of the after-effects of the monstrous brainwashing you underwent in the time of disbelief where the image given of God (when at least we believed in His existence) was either of a distant entity, a kind of sphinx or of an irascible and unpredictable being, in any case to be avoided at all costs.
Unfortunately, for some Christians God remains an imposing, frightening and untouchable deity that must first be appeased with human sacrifices, preferably of oneself, by muttering empty words of submission before He even deigns to notice you. On the other hand, for others, it is the divine butler ignored most of the time, (you understand, the schedule is busy) but who exists to do my will and at the first call must return with the thing requested on a platter, but as for spending time in his company, there no. Thus they continue to live in the mud of spiritual life. This is why prayer is painful for many, after living so long in the mud, when you enter a nice clean house, you feel strange, but the good news is that you quickly get used to it. That's how it happens.
God is good company, especially when you have the courtesy to listen to Him instead of bombarding Him with ridiculous and selfish requests and reproaches; it must be said that we are not lacking in audacity, we allow ourselves to monopolize the conversation in the presence of the One who knows everything and can do everything. God is good company when we learn to respect His rules, to honor Him all day long rather than flatter Him for an hour in the morning and spend the rest of the day frolicking with the devil and his minions. God is good company when our desire is to know Him, to discover Him, to worship Him and not to throw Him a few mouthfuls of praise so that He will keep quiet and comply while we hatch our treacherous plans. But no. That is why the Bible says that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
To begin to enjoy prayer, we must take God seriously for who He is, not for what we can get from Him. He allows those who love and are interested to discover and enjoy His splendor, beauty, and magnificence. And often He gives a glimpse to an undeserving soul (and who wouldn't be?) to draw them in, draw them in, and transform them from hireling into worshipper; then it is up to them to seize the moment and begin to yearn for His majesty instead of just enjoying it for a few short moments and then going back to playing in the mud.
Even when prayer seems to require much effort as we work in partnership with God to break down any resistance to His will, it must always be done in the atmosphere of His presence where His Spirit leads and invigorates us. As a spiritual leader, one of my greatest desires is to bring people into the awareness of God's presence in prayer, where His beauty and sweetness invades and fills their being and they discover His splendor and magnificence and therefore choose to do what is necessary to live in such a way as to experience this day by day. If I can bring people to become lovers of God who truly delight in Him, enjoy His company and think highly of Him, I will have succeeded. My goal is to see those for whom I am responsible be able to say without reservation, 'His whole person is desirable.'
Shalom!
Wow,
This is by far the best article I have read to date.
THANKS!