How Do You See Jesus When You Pray?
I have times when I am overwhelmed by God’s presence when I’m praying and I also know the feeling of loneliness as my pleas seem to simply hang heavy in the air around me.
I know God’s promises to hear the prayers of His children. Promises like…
The Lord is close to all who call on Him, yes, to all who call on Him in truth. He grants the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cries for help and rescues them.
Psalm 145:18–19
So, I know my feelings have everything to do with me and nothing to do with God.
And that
Which is why I decided to ask some of my friends the question…
How Do You See Jesus When You Pray?
Here are some of their answers and the Scriptures that I believe support their thoughts…
♥ Shannon wrote – Most often I’m like Mary sitting at His feet. Sometimes he’s just sitting right beside me and sometimes I’m bombarding heaven.
Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what He taught … There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:39,42
♥ Marva wrote – I honestly think God laughs at me sometimes. I imagine I’m gently resting my head on His shoulders as I tell him all my worries.
One of the disciples, the one Jesus loved dearly, was reclining against Him, his head on His shoulder.
John 13:23 (MSG)
♥ Diana wrote – I start off in my prayer visualizing the Father seated on the throne – Almighty and Powerful. As I praise Him for who He is, as I pour my
I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb … And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”
Revelation 7:9a,10
♥ Carmen wrote – I often picture myself kneeling before Him. My face on the ground to his feet. His demeanor is always welcoming, peaceful, and the intensity of feeling the holy spirit always makes me cry to Him in a humble manner.
“Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at His feet and, trembling with fear, told H
Mark 5:33–34im the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
♥ Sarah wrote – When I feel anxious, I imagine God holding me securely in His hand.
From eternity to eternity I am God.
Isaiah 43:13
No one can snatch anyone out of my hand.
No one can undo what I have done.
♥ Cathy wrote – I often picture Jesus walking beside me along a mountain trail (my favorite place to be). But sometimes, I’m sitting at His feet, my head on His knees, and He’s stroking my hair like my dad did when I was little.
Jesus and His disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, He asked them, “Who do people say I am?”
Mark 8:27
♥ Ann wrote – I picture Him on the throne interceding for me at times. Other times, holding my right hand as Isaiah says.
Who then can say we are guilty? It was Christ Jesus Who died. He was raised from the dead. He is on the right side of God praying to Him for us.
Romans 8:34 (NLV)
♥ Rachel wrote – I often picture Jesus sitting beside me, or walking alongside me. Sometimes we
For the
Zephaniah 3:17Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.
♥ Elaine wrote – When I pray or practice my singing, I often picture God and Jesus on their thrones.
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Hebrews 4:16
♥ Joan wrote – It is different at different times. Sometimes He’s holding me
If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.
Psalm 66:18–20
How do I see Jesus when I pray?
I share many of the thoughts expressed by my friends. At different times in my life, I’ve pictured Jesus sitting beside me. I’ve imagined the Father sitting on His throne. I’ve walked with Him and I’ve fallen flat on my face before Him in repentance.
But how do I see Jesus most often lately?
I imagine Him waiting for me at the well.
Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well.
John 4:6
He knows what it’s like to be worn out by life and yet … He waits for me.
And I’m a mess. Life has been hard. It hasn’t gone the way I hoped and dreamed. I tried but my failures have labeled me and I feel judged by those who have done better.
As I approach Him, Jesus doesn’t judge me although He knows the truth, not based on gossip or innuendo but fact. He knows everything about me. He’s aware of every sin … things I’ve done and things I’ve left undone. And yet, He doesn’t turn away but invites me into a conversation. He leans in and listens.
And He offers me compassion, kindness, and hope.
The time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship Him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”
Then Jesus told her, “I am the Messiah!”
John 4:23–26
The Savior of the world. The Word made flesh. The Lord of lords and King of kings. The Messiah invites me to know His saving grace … to be forgiven. Not because I’ve done anything to earn or deserve it but simply because that is who He is!
Because of who He is … I can boldly pray to and worship the Father. I can approach the One who is on the throne. I can sit at my Savior’s feet and learn His will for me. I can face each day with hope knowing that I am forgiven and loved.
And I can enthusiastically tell others about Him.
Friend, Jesus is waiting for you. He already knows everything about you and everything you are are going through … He cares. He loves you.
So, let me ask you?
Deb, I loved how you shared others’ perspectives here concerning how they see Jesus when praying. Most often, I feel Him sitting beside me and listening intently. Yes, how loving that feels!
Blessings!
Thank you, Martha! I agree, just imaging His closeness as we pray helps us remember how very much He loves us! Blessings to you, my friend!
Inspiring and beautifully written, Deb! My soul needed these scriptures and images of being in our Father’s presence. Thank you.
Isn’t the love of Jesus something wonderful!
JOYfully praying,
Carol
Oh, Carol, I’m so very glad it blessed you! Thank you for your kind encouragement! Blessings to you!
This is one of those makes-my heart-warm-and-emotional post.
The question is how do we individually see Jesus. Thank you for including my answer above in your post. Seeing God as my Father comforts me a lot.
Love you
Diana
Absolutely how I feel As I am getting older, with so much mistakes made in my life…it is so wonderful to know that God Almighty waits for me…know everything about me…and still love me unconditionally
Suritha, it is so comforting to know, isn’t it! We have all made many mistakes and all need His amazing grace and mercy. God bless you!
Love you, Diana! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me! You sure do bless me!!
Deb,
Beautifully written and such good insight. My heart needed to hear this today!
Thank you, Shawn! I’m so glad it blessed you! Thank you for stopping to let me know! God bless you!
I remember seeing this question that you posed, Deb, and I had the same answer as so many you quoted here. I guess that’s why I didn’t respond. But I love that you are reminding us of how intimate and meaningful our times of prayer can be, even when we struggle to know whether God hears us or not. Great post, my friend! Pinning for sure!
Oh, thank you, Beth! I sure do appreciate your friendship and encouragement! Blessings!
I love spending time in the presence of God and this article is everything about prayer. The language of prayer is so beautiful and powerful. WOW!
Perfectly said, Stacy! “The language of prayer is so beautiful and powerful.” Amen! God bless you!
I love how you added scripture to each of your friend’s ways they imagine Jesus when they pray! It shows that there are many ways Jesus comes to us when we pray and each way is perfect!
Blessings, Joan
Thank you, Joan! I so appreciate your encouragement! Blessings, my friend!
I see my Jesus Christ is my Saviour, and I Trust in his Devine Mercy.
And I would say that’s is the perfect way to see Him! God bless you!
Makes me realize that I generally don’t picture him in any of those ways when I pray. I hope to get there soon.
Lisa, I think the important thing is knowing that He hears your prayers. He is waiting and listening as His love is faithful and everlasting! God bless you! I’m praying for you today!
Thank you. I have always seen him as judging me. Trying to get over that.
Oh, Lisa, Jesus took our judgment for us. He sees you covered by His perfect and complete grace through faith and forgiveness.
That’s what everyone has tried to tell me, but having always been very critical of myself it has been very difficult for me to believe that I was acceptable to God.
I loved reading different people’s perspectives about how they see Jesus when praying. The most interesting part is seeing how those differing perspectives have one connectivity or the other to the Bible. It’s great to know that God accepts us whichever way we choose to see Him.
Thank you so much for visiting and stopping to join the conversation! I am so glad this blessed you! I appreciate your kind encouragement!
Deb, I really enjoyed this post! Great reminders for us as we enter into prayer. I’m currently in a challenging season so as I read this, I picked up an incredible sweetness. Thank you for that! Blessings!
Oh, thanks so much for visiting and for your kind encouragement, Susan! I’m so glad this blessed you. I’m lifting you up in prayer … asking God to meet every need. God bless you!
I’m honored that you included my answer in this post! Sharing on Pinterest and Twitter, Deb.
Thanks so much for taking the time to answer the question and for being a wonderful encourager! Blessings!
This is such an interesting question, Deb… and one I’m going to ponder. I know I’m truly grateful that He is always accepting of my prayers, whether they are uttered in my car on the run or intentional and heartfelt in moments of quiet. He is always listening—that makes me feel so cherished! Thanks for sharing… 🙂
Amen, Laura! Just knowing He listens is a huge blessing. Thanks so much for visiting and for joining the conversation! God bless you!
As I struggle with my Chronic Illness and how it has changed my life, I guess I see Jesus most often with His arms around me. Jesus nurtures me daily and lifts me up in my greatest despair.
I really enjoyed reading this post!
Jennifer, I’m so sorry for your struggle. I agree, when life is hardest is when I picture Jesus holding me close. Thank you so much for stopping by and for joining the conversation! God bless you!
Thank you Deb!
This post was an awesome reminder thats its okay to use my imagination while praying to help me focus, boost my faith, and manifest God’s tangible presence!
Thanks again!
Love you sis!
Thank you for visiting, Fanicia! The Bible gives us so many beautiful word images of Jesus as He interacted with the people around Him, I feel like it’s a blessing to be able to picture Him spending time with us in much the same way. God bless you!
Hi Deb. This is a precious post. It tells me that as individual as we are, that’s how individually God relates to us. He is so good!
On another note, Awhile back I had followed you on Facebook. (I wrote you a message about an essential oil blend rub for fibromyalgia.). I had followed every Bible study author I could think of, and my feed was overloaded so I unfollowed everybody!! At any rate, I’m still rubbing on the birch oil and smelling like a tree, lol!!
I’m so glad you are still hanging with me. And thank you for the great giggle. Hanging out with people that make me laugh is my favorite. Hope you are feeling better and that those oils continue to help. God bless you!
I could identify with most of reader’s imagination about Jesus when they pray. Yes,I too imagine Jesus similarly when I pray. Like bowing my head while praying, following Him holding His hands as He leads me,Jesus sitting on the throne as I lift up my head to look at Him and so on.
Thanks so much for visiting, Laila, and for joining the conversation. I am blessed by your thoughts and love the ways we each picture our time spent in prayer with the Lord. God bless you!