To better appreciate the love God has for us, let us now analyze it through the lens of contemplation. To contemplate is to look, to see, or to know. It is to turn one’s gaze toward Christ with a profound, persistent gaze that leads to admiration. It is important to emphasize the essential role of contemplation in developing an intimate relationship with the Lord.

To help us understand contemplation, Natha (the creator of the YouTube channel Crosspaint) uses the metaphor of a sunflower in his book Surprised by Awe. After being planted in the ground, the seeds germinate, and the plants begin to emerge from the earth.

Once blossomed, the flowers turn throughout the day to follow the path of the sun, facing it for as long as possible. Bathed in light, they grow optimally. We are like these sunflowers and need to turn toward Christ, our light, to live fulfilled, free, and happy lives.

The Bible instructs us to turn our gaze to Christ so that we may be transformed (see 2 Corinthians 3:18). It is necessary to look at and admire someone to become like them. Therefore, to be changed into His image, we must contemplate Christ and let His light shape us. David also illustrates contemplation:

“Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. One thing I have asked of the Lord, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” (Psalm 27:3-4)

The Lord has shown me how to contemplate:

“You need to distance yourself from everything—your problems, desires, and wants. Do not even look at your enemies who are just outside your door. They will try to distract you by reminding you that things are not going well in your life, suggesting that you should ‘go take care of what’s wrong in your life, go find solutions.’ Go and enter your room, the most suitable place to develop an intimate relationship with me, and close the door to keep it a secret.”

Understand that my room is my heart. Closing the door means putting aside and removing all problems from my heart. When you are alone with God, your gaze is solely on Him, and you find yourself transformed, just like those sunflowers or like Moses when he spent 40 days in God’s presence:

“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with the Lord.” (Exodus 34:29)

The Lord frees us from our impurities, sadness, fears, anxieties, shames, and failures:

“Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” (Psalm 34:5)

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” (John 15:4)

TO DO (every day starting today)

⇨ Search for verses on the love of God,
⇨ Pray over the following topics:
• Ask God for the grace to love Him; He is love, and only He can fill you with His love as you dwell in His presence.
• Ask to be filled even more with the Holy Spirit; it is the Holy Spirit who works in us, for it is through Him that we have the ability to fulfill God’s will.
• Ask God to create in you the desire to remain in His presence, for He is the one who creates both the will and the action.
• Ask Him to cultivate a constant thirst within you:

“For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: Seek me and live!” (Amos 5:4)

This text is an excerpt from the book “21 DAYS OF WALKING FOR INTIMACY WITH GOD” written by Carmène Robert. 

We invite you to read the following article, “PREPARE YOUR SPIRIT.”