Solitude with the Father

What are you passionate about? When I thought about the word of the year that I wanted to focus on, it was a long list. Yes, I know we are five months into the year.  However, the word passionless kept coming to mind.

Life had been good, but there was no passion for it. I’m not saying that I walked around looking miserable but there wasn’t any “oomph”, just busyness. That included my spiritual life.

I think routines steal our passion especially spiritually. We have our quiet times and the Bible seems dry most of the time. Prayer time becomes something we do and not about the relationship we have with Christ.

In March my dream of going to Israel came true. For my husband and my twenty-fifth anniversary, we went to Rome, Athens, and Israel. One thing I asked God for on the trip was a new passion for Him.

To walk where my Savior walked was amazing. To this day I am pretty much speechless. To be on the temple mount where Jesus taught and removed the money changers, having communion at the empty grave, to sit on the steps that He walked up to the temple, to be in the town where He was born and raised, and had his headquarters in Capernaum for ministry was overwhelming.

These places brought the scripture more alive to me. The twinkle of passion started to grow. When I arrived home I didn’t want to go back to the same routine. Yet I have, but it’s different. It’s not about that I have to do this because it’s what good Christians do. It’s about the relationship. There have been times when I have had to pray, “Lord I don’t want to do this but because you are my God, I am here, meet me here.” And He does.

I might not learn anything new in my reading or some great truth may not come out of the time. But just being with the author of the Word and my salvation is good enough. That’s passion.

This is a full year for me. I desire passion in every area of my life but most of all I want more passion for the Lord. I want to gain a hunger for Him that is never satisfied.

How about you? What are you passionate about? Is there a passion for the Lord? I challenge you to pray and ask God for it. It may take time, the Lord’s timing is everything but I promise you it will come and it will be a growing time as well.