Day 7 of 10 Days of Prayer

Day 7 of 10 Days of Prayer
By: Kelly Michalczyk

I recently read a book that reminded me, “God has a face and he looks like Jesus.”  Check out these Bible verses that remind us all of that same thing:

• Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)
• John told us that “The Word became flesh and … we have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son..” (John 1:14)
• We read in Colossians that Jesus is the image of God (1:15).
• 2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us that Jesus is the image of God.
• Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being.”

In 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (emphasis mine), Paul tells us that looking at Jesus is what makes us like Him:

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. All of us, gazing with unveiled faceson the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.

In Translating God, Shawn Bolz says, “His [God’s] eternal plan is for us to see what he sees, which enables us to love like he loves.” (23).

I would encourage you today to take some time to see / gaze / picture / imagine Jesus.  What do you look like when you are loving like Jesus?  What does it feel like when there is peace in that situation? What does it sound like when there is joy in your workplace?

I like to refer back to Matthew 6:6-12 in The Message sometimes:

“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.

“The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply.

The verse tells us that our focus will shift from ourselves to God.  Go ahead – ask Him to help you:

• see Him,
• see what He sees,
• love like He loves.

Prayer Confession:

Thank-you God for sending Jesus to show me what You are really like!  I see you coming to humanity.  I see you healing the broken-hearted.  I see you giving hope.  I see you encouraging people.  I see you listening to people.  People matter.  You’re telling me to pray for the sick because You are our healer.  You’re telling me I can give because You are my source and I will never lack.  You are telling me to love the people around me.  I am overflowing with Your love to give.

Please leave a comment and share what you see, what He sees, and how He wants you to love.

The first quote is from the book Sinners in the Hands of a Loving Godby Brian Zhand. Chapter 1 talks a lot about a Jesus-looking God.

Translating Godspeaks a lot about how God loves people.

To learn more about imaginative prayer, you should check out Gregory Boyd’s book called Seeing is Believing.