By Benescke Janse van Rensburg

Background: A number of readers responded after the question in Day 1’s piece: “Do you worship God because you know and love Him or simply because you think it's the right thing to do?” One reader wrote: “I realized today that I might be praying because I think it is the ‘right thing’ to do. Also out of fear of what might happen if I do not believe in the Lord. Where do I start to fix it?” Do you feel like this reader? Do you want to know our Father better, but you do not know where to start?

Try the following: Close your eyes for a moment and think about God. What do you see? A smile, soft eyes and a warm heart, or do you see a big man with a long beard who is ready to judge you? I found that when a person’s earthly father was absent or he hurt or disappointed you, some find it difficult to relate to God as a Father. It even becomes uncomfortable to pursue a relationship with Him.

God understands that. For this reason, He at times choose to reveal Himself to us in ways that we will be able to associate with. The problem sometimes is that we limit Him. We have a preconceived idea of how He is “supposed” to speak to us. If it doesn’t happen in that way, we think that He doesn’t want to connect with us. Because we are not open to just meet with Him, we miss opportunities to experience Him. At times He speaks to us through His Word, other times through nature or people and yet other times He uses “insignificant things” that only you and He know about to demonstrate to you that He knows your deepest heart’s desires (I will share one such story tomorrow).

In Luke 24, after Jesus rose from the death, he walked a whole day with two men on their way to Emmaus. They did not know it was Him. Only when they sat down at the table that evening, their eyes were opened and they recognised Him. In Hebrews 13:2, we read: “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” And in Matthew 7:7 we read: “Keep on seeking, and you will find.”

If we seek God, we will find Him. It starts with us. If you truly desire to get to know Him better, I can assure you that you will see Him more present in your life than before. Let us ask Him to open our eyes and hearts to be more sensitive. We might be surprised to see that He is much closer to us than we think. God bless.

Father God, thank you for loving me as I am. Please make me aware of your Holy Spirit at work around me. I ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

• Assignment for the day: Here are three of God's characteristics: Almighty, Protector and Provider. Think about each of these characteristics in your life. Where have you experienced God? Thank Him for it.

• Feedback: If you have any questions or want to share something, please do not hesitate to send an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. I would like to hear from you. Benescke