I had been searching for joy in the relatively good times of life, now I had to find joy amidst darkness and agony.

Joy emanates out of the abiding sense of God’s fierce love for us.

How often have I rattled on with God and said nothing at all? Relying on clichés, throwaway phrases, and high language I'd never use in everyday conversation, I took prayer for granted and lost sight of the wondrous opportunity to draw close to God.

Wide awake to the presence of God, I realized I had been so focused on asking why a good God allowed bad things to happen that I was missing out on the nearness of God all along. In becoming preoccupied with the why, I was missing the who.

Many of us say we want to experience God, but we don’t look for his majesty. [Tweet this] We travel life’s paths with our heads down, focused on the next step with our careers or families or retirement plans. But we don’t really expect God to show up with divine wonder.

God is constantly on the move. I cannot stay where I am and follow God at the same time; responding requires movement.

Prayer might not change things, but it will change my perspective of things. Prayer might not change the past, but inevitably, it changes the present.