Tag: “Nobody Loves Me Like You” by Chris Tomlin

Continuing to Practice Prayer

We’ve come to the end of an amazing season of learning about prayer. As we close our Extraordinary Prayer books, my hope is that this won’t be the end of expanding and deepening our communication with the Lord. When we’re stretched spiritually like we have been in this study, we have the opportunity to change our rhythms and grow in maturity. But without intentionality, we’ll revert back to how we were previously.

There have been many times when God has inspired me, but it has only been by continuing to practice what I’ve learned that I’ve progressed in my walk with the Lord. For example, I began understanding the value of connecting with Jesus personally while serving at a Christian camp many years ago. Sitting on the roof of a houseboat as the sun sank low, I listened intently as a youth pastor read a chapter of My Heart, Christ’s Home—an allegory inspired by Jesus’ words, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” (John 14:23) 

In the story, the new believer invites Jesus to live in his home and makes plans to meet with Him every morning to read his Bible and pray.  The new Christian starts off with great intentions, but as the days go by, he sometimes rushes out before making time with the Lord. One day as he’s hurrying out the door, he glances into the living room and sees Jesus sitting expectantly in a chair by the fire with the Bible in His lap. Hanging his head, the believer enters the room and apologizes to Jesus when he realizes the Lord has continued to wait for him each morning. Jesus explains: 

“The trouble is that you have been thinking of the quiet time, of Bible study and prayer, as a means for your own spiritual growth. This is true, but you have forgotten that this time means something to me also. Remember, I love you. At a great cost I have redeemed you. I value your fellowship. Just to have you look up into my face warms my heart. Don’t neglect this hour, if only for my sake. Whether or not you want to be with me, remember I want to be with you. I really love you!”1

Those words pierced my heart as a young believer. It was the first time I understood that reading the Bible and praying weren’t just good things to do, but vital for cultivating a personal relationship with the Lord. I’d never considered His affection for me or that He eagerly anticipated our times together.

God invites us to draw near to Him and assures us of His presence, but He also wants our whole hearts. Session 1 of our study includes the words of Jeremiah 29:13: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” The word “seek” used here means to search out by any method, but especially through worship and prayer. The word “heart”characterizes our soul, mind, inclinations, conscience, moral character, and appetites.2 So, to seek God with all our hearts reflects an ongoing, focused pursuit of Him that is connected to all areas of our lives. It means surrendering to His will and His ways without holding anything back. Once we begin a relationship with Him, we’re meant to spend the rest of our lives striving to know Him more deeply.

Learning about God and growing with other believers is important, but it’s not the same as spending personal time with the Lord. Author and Bible teacher Lisa Harper explains: “Information about Jesus is a poor substitute for intimacy with Jesus. If you’ve filled in a million Bible study blanks and still don’t really believe that the Creator and Redeemer of the universe loves you, you’ll never impact the world around you with the abundant life made available to us in Christ. Spend time alone with the lover of your soul. Learn what it is to linger in the embrace of Jesus.”3

Throughout our study we’ve seen that God readily receives us when we move toward Him. The final session of Extraordinary Prayer reminds us: “Come close to God, and God will come close to you.” (James 4:8a, NLT) So, let’s continue to draw near to Jesus and to grow in intimacy with Him. 

My hope is that this study will be a significant mile marker in your spiritual journey and that you’ll look back and see it as a turning point when your prayer life expanded and deepened. I encourage you to continue practicing what doesn’t come easily to you: praising God, confessing your sins, expressing gratitude, and making requests that expand God’s kingdom. Keep pressing on and using the Bible to inspire your prayers.

Chris Tomlin’s “Nobody Loves Me Like You” gives the perfect inspiration for being intentional about drawing near to Jesus daily. Click here to listen and let the words motivate you to make time for the One who loves you best.

If this study impacted you, would you consider sharing it with others? I’d love to see more people have the opportunity to discover the power of extraordinary prayer. Click here for ordering info.

1. Robert Boyd Munger, My Heart, Christ’s Home, Intervarsity Press, 1986.

2. The definitions for the Hebrew words are compiled from Strong’s Concordance. “Baquash” (seek) is Strong’s #H1245 “Lebab” (heart) is Strong’s #H3824.

3. Lisa Harper “Three Things That Impact Your Legacy”, IF:Lead 2021.

David’s Prayer: Psalm 5

Humbling ourselves before God and aligning our hearts and minds with Him allows us to keep our focus where it needs to be throughout the day.

Over the years, the Book of Psalms has become a significant part of my faith journey. The deep laments, honest soul-searching, and passionate praise have put words to my thoughts and feelings many times.

As one of the primary authors of Psalms, David was the most famous and renowned of all the kings of Israel. He was known as “a man after God’s own heart.” At different points in his life he was a shepherd, a musician, a poet, a warrior, a leader, a husband, and a father. Many of the chapters he wrote in that beloved book are songs and prayers that show his response to the different events that occurred in his life. 

For me, a number of psalms have become mile markers that bring back memories from specific moments in my past. Psalm 5 is one I remember learning when I was a teenager. I first heard it in the form of a song while sitting on a small beach during a houseboat trip with my youth group. Standing at the water’s edge, a few of the camp leaders strummed their guitars and led as we sang the first three verses. It was a powerful way to prepare our hearts before sending us off for some time alone with God. Even though it was archaic language, the sentiment resonated deeply with me. When I looked it up recently, I was surprised to see that the lyrics I remembered word-for-word were pulled directly from the King James translation without being altered:

“Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” (Psalm 5:1-3, KJV)

The New International version translates it like this: “Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” (Psalm 5:1-3, NIV)

 Here’s what strikes me about this passage:

It honors God in the lamenting: Even in his emotional distress, David recognizes the sovereignty of God. He gives the Lord the superior place of honor He deserves, addressing Him not only has his God, but as his King. So often in our prayers we launch right into listing our needs and making requests. When we start first by acknowledging the Lord and placing Him above ourselves, we demonstrate humility. This moves us from demanding an answer to recognizing God’s graciousness to us.

It has a healthy perspective: David lays his requests before the Lord and then waits expectantly to hear from Him. The physical act of laying something down is a powerful image. We can’t keep our worries and fears tightly in our grasp and lay them before God simultaneously. We must relinquish them to Him and then step back and believe that He’s going to respond in His perfect timing. Telling Him we’re waiting expectantly shows we trust Him and frees us from the compulsion to keep fretting. Pastor and author Nancy Ortberg says that lamenting paves the way for praising God. When we lay our troubles down before Him, it frees us to look up and remember His sovereignty over all things.

It sets an example worth following: David begins his day with the Lord. Twice in one verse he mentions coming before God in the morning. His example reminds me of the importance of starting my day with prayer. This isn’t legalistic, it just makes good sense. We wouldn’t leave for the day without putting on clothes. We don’t see this as a luxury, but a necessity. Yet, often we don’t see the need for spiritual covering as an essential part of preparation for the day ahead. When I don’t make time for morning prayer, my focus is on myself and the people and circumstances I encounter. As soon as something doesn’t go the way I want, I’ll default to self-centeredness, frustration, and impatience. Conversely, when I start with my focus on the Lord, He wraps me in the grace, wisdom, and patience I need to approach my day with His perspective instead of mine.

It’s interesting to note that Jesus gave us a similar example. Mark 1:35 says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” If the son of God chose to start His day with prayer, it’s probably wise to follow His example. Humbling ourselves before God and aligning our hearts and minds with Him allows us to keep our focus where it needs to be throughout the day.

Take a few mornings this week to read Psalm 5. Then, write prayers using some of the same elements David did such as:

  • being honest about your emotions 
  • honoring God’s superior position in your life
  • laying specific requests before Him
  • telling Him you’re waiting expectantly because you trust Him
  • asking for God’s leading
  • seeking God as your refuge—a place of safety amidst life’s dangers and storms
  • asking for God to spread His protection over you
  • thanking God that you can claim to be righteous because of Jesus
  • asking God to bless you and surround you with His favor

Chris Tomlin’s song “Nobody Loves Me Like You” starts off with the perfect lyrics to remind you when to start praying. Let it inspire you today.

God’s Names Reveal His Character

Brilliant gold, orange, and pink clouds accentuated by the black silhouette of trees in the dawn's early light brought me reassurance that God holds all things together.
Some nights I toss and turn, my mind churning on the many things that are heavy on my heart. In those quiet moments, I lay my concerns before God, hoping to offload them onto Him so I can get a few more hours of precious sleep. It seems there have been a lot of burdens to entrust to Him lately. Some days I write feverishly in my prayer journal about the many people and situations where I long to see God bring help, change, and healing. I pore over passages of Scripture searching for words of hope and encouragement to guide me. 
 
But sometimes, God doesn’t reveal Himself to me through the pages of Scripture. Instead, He gives me an experience to show me His majesty. Recently I had a sleepless, angst-filled night. When I finally shuffled out of my bedroom bleary-eyed and groggy, I noticed an unusual glow coming through the front window. Glancing outside, I saw our car in the driveway reflecting hues of gold, pink, and orange in the early morning light. I stepped outside for a better look and caught my breath as I admired God’s handiwork splashed across the sky. Within a few minutes, the brilliant colors faded back into the muted greys of the winter morning. Interestingly, this same thing happened again later in the week after another sleepless night. Again, the vibrant colors only appeared for a few minutes before fading away, but both times I was there to see them and to be encouraged by God’s presence. I immediately thought of a verse that has reassured me frequently in the past year: “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17, NIV)

Remembering His character and drawing near to Him put my worries into perspective and brought me peace. The color-drenched sunrise was a visual reminder of the Lord’s infinite power. I knew that the same God who created breathtaking artwork in the sky would be sovereign in my life and would tenderly care for me and the many concerns that swirled in my mind. There was no doubt that He would hold all things together.
 
So frequently we come before God with a list of fears, needs, and concerns. And while He does invite us to give our burdens to Him and to cast our anxieties before Him, He also longs for us to come near to Him just because we love Him. Priscilla Shirer advises, “Don’t bypass the relationship because you’d rather have answers to your questions. God wants to speak to you because he wants you to know Him. Knowing His direction is just a byproduct. He wants to reveal truth about Himself to you because this knowledge will lay the firm path toward fulfilling His purpose for your life.” (p. 107)
 
Throughout the Old Testament, God appeared to different people and reassured them with exactly what they needed. And when He did this, the people he encountered would label Him with specific names. Each one revealed a different aspect of His character. I’ve included several of them below. 
 
-Elhohim means Creator and is first found in the creation story in Genesis 1:1
-El Shaddai means The All-Sufficient One and is first found in the story of Abraham in Genesis 17:1-8
-El Elyon means The Most High (Sovereign) and is found in the story of Abraham and Melchizidek in Genesis 14:18-20
-Adonai means Lord or Master and is found in in the story of Abraham in Genesis 15:2
-El Olam means The Everlasting God and is found in the story of the Treaty at Beersheba in Genesis 21:33
-El Roi means The God Who Sees and is found in the story of Hagar in Genesis 16
-Yahweh means LORD or The Self Existent One (also translated later as Jehovah) and is found in the story of Moses and the burning bush in Exodus 3:13-15
-Jehovah Tsidkenu means The Lord is Our Righteousness and is found in prophetic remarks about Judah and Israel found in Jeremiah 23:6
-Jehovah Jireh means The Lord Will Provide and is found in the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22:14
-Jehovah Raah means The Lord my Shepherd and is found in the words of David in Psalm 23:1
-Jehovah Shalom means The Lord Send Peace and is found in the story of Gideon in Judges 6:24
-Johovah Rapha means The Lord Who Heals and is found in Moses’ instructions to the Israelites from the Lord in Exodus 15:26
-Jehoval Shammah means The Lord is There and is found in the vision of the temple and city rebuilt in Ezekiel 48:35
-Jehovah Nissi means The Lord is My Banner and is found in the story of the Israelites defeating the Amalekites in Exodus 17:15 while Moses held his arms high with the help of Aaron and Hur
-Johovah Sabaoth means The Lord of Hosts and is found in the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:3-11 and the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:42-47
-Johovah Mekoddishkem means The Lord Who Sanctifies and is found in the discussion of observing the Sabbath in Exodus 31:12-18
-Qanna means Jealous God and is used to describe God’s desire to have the unrivaled affection of His people in Zechariah 1:14
 
Which aspect of God’s character do you need to focus on right now? Maybe it feels like you’re lacking in some way and you need to know He’s the All Sufficient One. Or perhaps you’ve been overlooked or forgotten and need reassurance that He is the God Who Sees. Maybe you’re struggling to trust God through financial challenges and need a reminder that The Lord Will Provide. It could be that you or someone you love needs physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual healing and you need to lean into The Lord Who Heals. Whichever name and character quality resonates with you right now, draw near to God and let Him comfort and encourage you.
 
On those mornings when I witnessed amazing sunrises, a song came to mind that seemed perfectly suited for those moments. Click on the link below to enjoy, “Nobody Loves Me Like You” by Chris Tomlin.

Names of God lists compiled from LORD, Teach Me to Pray and LORD, I Want to Know You by Kay Arthur.
Discerning the Voice of God by Prisilla Shirer, Lifeway Press, 2017.