Spending Time with Your Heavenly Father

Not a ritual. Not a duty. A relationship.

How is your prayer life? Do you pray at all? And if you do… what is it really like? Is it alive? Is it honest? Is it personal? Or has it become a routine? For many people, prayer has quietly shifted into a checklist or a formula.

Thank God for your day.
Pray for friends and family.
Ask for help with things you’re facing.
Confess your sins.
Try to fit in some praise.

Maybe you use the A.C.T.S. method—Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. And that’s beautiful. It can guide the heart. But here’s the deeper question: Has your prayer life become mechanical? Are you simply “saying prayers”… or are you spending time with your Dad? Because prayer is not about performance. It’s not a religious obligation. It’s not something you do to feel spiritual or look good before God. It’s a relationship. It’s love. It’s connection. It’s spending time with the One who knows you, sees you, and loves you completely. And not just to be loved… But to love back. To enter into real, mutual communion. To know Him. To be known. To share your life with your Father—fully, openly, daily.

What Was Jesus’ Prayer Life Like?

We imitate many things about Jesus: His compassion, His teaching, His miracles, His service. But how often do we imitate His prayer life? Scripture says something powerful:

“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” —Luke 5:16

Let that settle into your heart. Jesus often withdrew. Not just when He had spare time. Not just in emergencies. Not when He was dry and desperate. He made space to get alone with His Father. In another moment, after ministering to crowds and performing miracles, the Gospel 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.” —Mark 1:35

Why?

To reconnect.
To be refreshed.
To love and be loved.
To hear the Father’s voice.
To simply be with His Dad.

Just You and Your Father

Have you ever done that? Have you ever withdrawn—not just for five minutes—but really got away? To a quiet place. A secluded place. Somewhere without noise. Without notifications. Without people. Somewhere it’s just you and your Father. That’s what Jesus did. Not once. Often. He prioritized time in lonely places because it wasn’t lonely to Him. It was sacred. It was life-giving. In the stillness, there was no performing. No crowd to please. No miracles to do. Just presence. Just communion. Just love.

Led Beside Quiet Waters

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul.” —Psalm 23:1–3

What a picture of communion. When is the last time you did that—literally? When’s the last time you walked beside a stream, sat by the water for hours, no music, no phone, no agenda— just soaking in His love? When’s the last time you laid down in a green field, gazed up at the sky, breathed deeply, and whispered, “I’m Yours, Father. You are enough for me.” These aren’t poetic metaphors alone—they’re invitations. God longs to restore your soul by leading you into these simple, sacred places. Not just outside—but within.

Like Enoch Walked with God

“Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” —Genesis 5:24

That’s it. No long explanation. Just a man who walked with God—so closely, so intimately—that God simply took him home. Can you imagine that kind of closeness? It’s as if Enoch and God were walking and talking one day, and God said, “We’re closer to My house than yours… why don’t you just come with Me?” That’s prayer. Not just a thing you do— but a way you live. A walk. A life. A friendship. A deep, joyful connection.

This Is the Invitation

So let’s ask it again: How is your prayer life? Not your prayer performance. Your prayer relationship. Have you gotten so busy doing things for God that you’ve stopped just being with Him? Have you traded dynamic connection for spiritual routine? Do you long for more? Because here’s the truth: your Father longs for you. He’s not interested in hollow words or ritualistic repetition. He wants you. Your voice. Your honesty. Your joy. Your sorrow. Your love. He wants to walk with you, speak with you, hold you. Not only so you can be loved— but so you can pour out your love in return. That’s prayer. That’s the heart of it.

Try This Today:

Find a quiet place. Go for a walk. Sit by a window. Lie in the grass.
Leave distractions behind. Silence your phone. Let it all wait.
Say this simple prayer: “Father, I’m here. Just me and You.”
And then… just be there. Talk. Listen. Cry. Laugh. Be real. Be silent. Be loved. And love Him back.

Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray. David laid down in green pastures beside still waters. Enoch walked with God so closely that he simply walked into eternity. You are invited to the same. Because in the end, it’s not about how long you pray, or how eloquently. It’s about whether your heart is there. Whether you’ve come not to check a box, but to open your soul. To be with your Heavenly Father. To be loved. To love. And that fills your heart and soul with so much love… that you can’t help but return it— and share it freely with others.

— Donald Flor, Cofounder of Love Love Love