Have you ever thought about that question? What does the Lord ask? What would you ask of the Lord if He were right there in front of you? Jesus asked that of two of His disciples John 1:38. He asked that of the two blind men Matthew 20:32. This morning in prayer and quiet time with God, I was thinking about all the color and extravagance of the holiday season just ended. Our grandchildren were bombarded with bright lights, colorful candies, ice sculptures of Santas workshop…and then I thought about fireflies at dusk, about butterflies and ladybugs on a summer day, of looking at cloud formations and finding shapes. Simple and wondrous pleasures. To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Deuteronomy 10:14. The Lord our God created all that we see and it is so beautiful and He set His love on us too. Yet the Lord set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations – as it is today. v. 15.

Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. v. 16. What does God ask of us? Our hearts to be soft and loving toward Him. And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good. v. 12-13.

When you open your heart to God, you open yourself to awareness of His love and care for you. You notice the beauty He created for us. What do you love? Mountains? Trees? Ocean beaches? Desert landscapes? Flowers? Fish? How about elephants? How about the love of family, friends, faithful pets? Our Lord God created it all.

Tomorrow starts a new year fresh with possibility. I want to enjoy each day knowing He is right here with me enjoying my joy with Him. I am never alone. He is right here with me and He is right there with you. Open your heart and know Him who loves you. He will share your laughter and joy and He will comfort you when you are sad and hurting. This world with its over-the-top distractions pulling at you cannot compare with the simple joy of being with God. With Him you will experience peace and belonging. Take His hand. He’s here. He has shown me I don’t need to worry about anyone. Why? Because He is here for every single person. He is our salvation. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:3-4.

Yesterday in our morning prayer group we were asked the question I asked here. If God was standing right in front of you, looking into your eyes and asking you what you wanted, what would you ask of Him? I said I would ask to spend one day with Him walking with Him and being with Him. Then we were asked if we could ask something frivolous what would that be? I responded I would ask Him to tell a joke. What does God find funny? This morning I realized He does walk with me every day. How can I describe the joy and peace of opening my heart and finding Him? There are no words good enough. Open your heart and see.