Pray To.

Twenty-two thousand women sat on the edge of their seats as the teacher standing center stage asked, “Do you want to have an insatiable love for Jesus?” Her words hung in the air. Then she answered, “Pray to. If you want an insatiable love for Jesus, then pray to.”

Scrambling to find my pen and struggling to spell the word insatiable, I wrote these simple yet powerful words in my conference notebook. The words stung my heart. As they fell from her lips, I knew this was a love for Jesus I did not have.

What I did have was church membership, a lot of church service, and some love. While Jesus was my Savior, something was missing.

I realized I had asked Jesus to be my Savior but not allowed Him to be my Lord. I loved Him for what He did but not for who He was. At age 34, I wanted to cry out this “pray to” prayer. But I wondered, “What must God think of me?”

Service to Him had been my life. Dedication to my church was paramount. But love? How could I not really love Jesus? Certainly He would be disinclined to hear such an elementary prayer from a grown woman who’d been a Christian much of her life

My thoughts were misguided. It was a prayer God wanted to answer immeasurably more than I could think or imagine. He wanted me to have an insatiable love for Him!

The speaker’s challenge that day became a lifestyle of prayer for me. Over time the emptiness in my heart was filled with a love for Jesus I had never known. My heart not only praised Him for what He had done in my life, but now loved Him for who He was: my Lord.

My obedience and service started to flow from a heart of love instead of duty. Lies that once shaped my life and negative feelings about myself where shattered by the honesty and power of His Word. The security of knowing Him as Lord gave me what I had been looking for my whole life. I found freedom in knowing who I am and courage to live like it’s true.

The promise and power of today’s key verse proved faithful in my life, changing me forever. Today, I want to challenge and invite you the same. Do you want to love Jesus with an insatiable love?

If you want to, then pray to.