Entering the Same Room as Jesus

What motivates God? Why did he send his Son to die for us? Why does he show us patience despite our distracted prayers and feeble attempts to serve him? Why doesn’t God eliminate humanity and create perfect beings to serve and praise him instead?

The answer is simple. But don’t let the simplicity distract you from how amazing it is. God loves us.

The eternal, holy, perfect God actually loves us. We’re weak. We’re sinful. We’re inconsistent. But God loves us anyway. In fact, the whole story of the Bible—from the Garden of Eden to the New Jerusalem—is about God making it possible for humans to have a relationship with him. We run away and mess up at every turn, but God never gives up on us. He sees us through the lens of Jesus’s sacrifice—perfect and holy. God even calls us his bride—yes, he loves us THAT much.

So why does it so often feel like Jesus is far away from us? If we’ve been invited into a deep relationship with God, why aren’t we connected with him on an emotional level? We believe in him, we pray to him, we follow him, but it often seems like Jesus is cut off from us. He’s in the next room—just out of reach.

As a self-confessed Christian stoic, Philip Morrison knows what it’s like to feel distant from God. Morrison writes that “for years … I had mostly an intellectual or cerebral relationship with the Lord. I believed Jesus was my Saviour and I worshipped him. I trusted his work on the cross. I have no doubt I am his child. I have tried to obey. These are all good but do not satisfy the need for intimate relational closeness.”

But Morrison’s life has been forever changed. Through the grace of God, Morrison learned to enter the same room as Jesus—and found a friendship that transformed his faith. Morrison’s recent book “In the Same Room as Jesus: Entering a Deeper Friendship with Christ” describes his journey out of intellectual coldness to a deeply emotional relationship with God.

So how did Morrison learn to become friends with Jesus? How do we enter the same room as Christ? By using a door. To help us move forward, “In the Same Room as Jesus” provides several doors that lead us to deeper intimacy with Jesus.

Which doors resonate with you? Which doors might Jesus be calling you to enter?

• Discipline: Consistently disciplining ourselves to pursue deeper relationship with Jesus is the foundation for any effort to approach God.
• Silence and Solitude: Modern life is calculated to fill us with distractions and business, but silence is often where God meets us.
• Awareness: God is with us at all times, but it’s easy for us to ignore him. We should intentionally listen to his voice.
• Beauty: God has filled the world we live in with beauty. This beauty gives us an opportunity to rejoice in and praise God.
• Commonality: Everything we do—even the “little” things—can be shared with Jesus.
• Scripture: As we build regular routines of meditating on the Bible, God will guide our thoughts and teach us about him.
• Prayer: Though it can be hard to pray to a God we cannot see, we should pray with respect and honesty, since we have the honour of addressing Jesus as a friend.
• Confession: Sin separates us from God, but he is faithful to forgive us if we confess.
• Fasting: We don’t fast from food, but for greater intimacy with Jesus, lamenting the fact that his return has not yet come, and anticipating our future nearness in heaven.
• Suffering, Sorrow, and Lament: When we encounter evil or suffering in the world, it is right for our hearts to be filled with sorrow. Jesus is present with us in our lamenting.
• Humility: Since God opposes the proud, humility is necessary to draw near to God. Being content with what God has given us helps us live in tune with reality.

So, what are we waiting for? Why hesitate to walk through these doors? Jesus is better than we can possibly imagine, and he wants to be our friend. As Morrison puts it, “Jesus does not want to keep us out of the room. In fact, he is thrilled and delighted as he listens to our approach. Let us rush into his presence! He is waiting for us!”

If you know in your head that Jesus is near to you, but you don’t feel it in your heart, it’s easy to feel discouraged. But your story is just beginning. As you learn to apply the principles of Morrison’s “In the Same Room as Jesus,” you’ll begin to move from distance to intimacy with God.

When you enter the same room as Jesus, you’ll learn how incredible it is to be friends with Christ.

This blog is based on “In the Same Room as Jesus” by Philip E. Morrison.

Get your copy of In The Same Room With Jesus on Amazon or from Oasis International Distribution partners in Africa.