Ben Woodward
Published: 2018-07
Total Pages: 174
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Taking 40 days to intentionally pray is a bold move. We all have many things screaming for our attention each day and usually the first thing to be discarded is prayer. But, for those who will take the time to engage with it, there is an invitation to discover God in the place of prayer.When You said, "Seek My face," my heart said to You, "Your face, O LORD, I shall seek." Psalm 27:8Staring into someone's face is a very personal thing. It can be awkward and disconcerting if you are the person being looked at. We don't like people staring at us because the longer you stare, the more you see and often what you see is not good.Staring in to the face of Jesus is different for a number of reasons. Firstly, He never feels awkward and He actually invites your stare. Secondly, the only things you are going to find there are good things.When so much of our prayer and conversation with Jesus is based around our needs and desires, it can be difficult to just stop and stare. What does that kind of prayer even look like? Are we supposed to just sit in a room and wait?Staring into the face of God is an invitation into a deeper level of relationship. Just like any earthly relationship, the more you get to know a person's character, the more you can understand them and relate to them. The invitation to stare into the face of God is an invitation into discovering who He is. So the question is, what has He already told us about Himself? Our primary source of information about who He is comes from the scriptures. What better place is there to start than to take what God has already said about Himself and use that as the foundation for our prayer and communication? This next 40 days is a journey of prayer based on what God has already told us about Himself in His word. It is using the attributes and character of God as a foundation for our conversation with Him. Instead of asking God for provision, we stare into His face and talk to Him about who He is as a provider. Instead of asking for wisdom, we stare into His nature as the God of wisdom and allow His character to be the foundation of our prayers. The one thing that I encourage you to remember in the next 40 days is this - Don't ask for a thing! That's not to say that asking in prayer is not valid, but this journey is about discovering who God is, not just trying to get something from Him. I promise you that as you do this, you will find that all your concerns and worries will slowly fade. If you are in need of provision, who better to discover than God the Provider? If you are in need of healing, who better to stare into than God the healer? Just remember, when you get the King, you also get His Kingdom. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33You are making a bold move! May the next 40 days be a time of hope and encounter as you seek His face.For more materials on prayer, go to www.benwoodward.comBen Woodward