Whenever you lease or buy a new vehicle, the dealership usually details the car inside and out to be sure it’s in immaculate condition when driven off the lot. If you’re like me, your desire is for the car to consistently stay in that pristine condition. You begin to make it a priority to keep it washed and clean on the inside, but after a while the allure of the newness wears off and you’re not as focused on keeping the car as clean as when you drove it off the lot.
Oftentimes, believers go through the ebbs and flows of this scenario with their prayer lives. Most Christians desire to have a strong and passionate prayer life with God, where relational communication with the Father is natural, just like with loved ones or close friends. However, depending on how long you have been a follower of Christ, you may have experienced seasons where your communication with God was close and intimate and other times when God seems far away. Maybe your passion for prayer was ignited when you initially became a follower of Christ or when you had a need for God to show Himself strong during a difficult season in your life, but that passion dwindled as time went on. There are times when the priorities of life take the place of consistent prayer or the allure of our relationship with God has changed. However, God never intended for our communication with Him to be casual or occasional.
From the beginning in the garden, God has desired to dwell in and among His people. The word dwell in this sense means “to settle down and abide or to take up permanent abode.” In the Old Testament, this was the purpose of the tabernacle in the wilderness and the temple in Jerusalem. In the New Testament, we see this first in Jesus and then in the Holy Spirit, who dwells in every believer. Each believer, and therefore the church, is a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. I love the words of the apostle Paul in Ephesians 3—with the power of the Trinity in mind (Father, v. 14; Spirit, v. 16; Son, v. 17)—where he prayed that Christ would dwell in us as it was intended.
More than casual encounters or the practice of inviting Christ in times of crisis, we should make room for Christ to permanently reside within us. Jesus commanded us to allow Him to abide, or remain, in us. We know that we must abide in Him, but the reverse is true as well. To help this make sense, I think about the idea of a child who lives in the home of her parents. She abides or dwells there, but also as she grows, she can choose to allow her parents’ teaching and values to abide or dwell in her. She abides in their home, and her heart becomes a home for their instruction. She becomes a product of her parents by choice. The parents choose to have a child in their home, as Christ has chosen us. Just as the child chooses to hold fast to the words of her parents, we must choose to hold dear and be led by the word of Christ. When we hold fast to the word of Christ, we anchor ourselves in Him, and the result is that we are rooted in love. Being rooted and grounded in love is clearly connected to inviting Christ to dwell in our hearts. That’s why it’s so important to start with Christ as the definition of love (1 John 4:10), to invite Him to dwell in your heart, and for you to dwell in His Word.
How can you make more space for Christ to dwell in your heart? As you continue to surrender more to Christ, He dwells more richly in you, and you can live out His love. Today, ask God to show you how to pray loving prayers, even if they’re uncomfortable and unpopular. Choose to intercede for someone who may be hard for you to love but needs your intercession.
Ready to renew your prayer life? Check out When You Pray: A Study of Six Prayers in the Bible. Over 7 sessions, you’ll join six beloved Bible teachers—Kelly Minter, Jackie Hill Perry, Jen Wilkin, Jennifer Rothschild, Jada Edwards, and Kristi McLelland—to study prayers in the Bible that can inspire your own. As you draw near to God through prayer, you’ll find your faith strengthened and your heart united to Christ. Order your copy today at lifeway.com/whenyoupray.
Jada Edwards is an author, speaker, Bible teacher, and mentor. She and her husband, Conway, planted One Community Church in 2008. She serves as the Creative Services Director, which has oversight for the church’s worship and performance arts ministries. She also leads their Women’s Bible study.
Jada enjoys spending time with her husband and their two children, Joah and Chloe—particularly around the dinner table.
