“Four Simple Words” by Matt Rudolph

When I was a boy my dad once instructed me saying, “son, when you lay your head on your pillow at night, let the last words on your lips be ‘I love you, Lord’ and let them also be the first words you say when you wake up in the morning”

Just four simple words… “I love you Lord”. The words were pretty easy to say and in what seemed like no time at all, days quickly turned to weeks and weeks turned to months and eventually a habit was formed. Using more spiritual language, I could say my dad was teaching me to center my life on the Lord by developing the spiritual discipline of devotion. Little did I know at the time that heeding my dad’s counsel would set me up for one of the most life changing moments in my entire life.

A decade later I was now in bible college and one night as I was falling to sleep in my bed, I tucked my duvet around my shoulder and as I was rolling over, I whispered those four simple words that had become my practice for many years by now. But this time it was different! Instead of falling peacefully asleep, suddenly I heard the Lord respond back to me for the very first time.

“I LOVE YOU, MATTHEW!”

I fell back on to my bed as if pressed down by the weight of His tangible presence. I not only heard the Lord speak to me by my name, but I became immediately aware of Him enveloping me. As a river of His love washed over me, tears streamed down the side of my face and onto my pillow. I wept with joy, so fully aware that he knew me and wanted to be with me and pour out His love on me. All the hundreds of nights declaring my love for Him seems so insignificant compared to this one moment of encounter.

Something changed inside of me that night. What began by obedience became a discipline that set me up for a life changing encounter that left me desiring more of the Lord. Our spiritual life is often a dance between discipline and desire. At times discipline must take the lead and desire follows. In other seasons, desire rises to lead and inspire discipline to join the dance. One thing I know for sure is that God has been continually faithful to reveal His love to me and I still want to know him more and more.

This Sunday, March 14th, I will be ministering at Wellspring Church and I want to invite you to join us in person or online as I share another recent encounter with the Lord that has awakened first love in my heart and a message on “The Disciple Jesus Loved.” God is not a respecter of persons and I believe that there is an impartation from His heart to all who are hungry and desire more of Him.

“The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: ‘Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore, with lovingkindness I have drawn you’.” Jeremiah 31:3

“On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.” Psalm 63:6

Video Below: Pastor Rick Highlights This Sunday’s Sermon by Matt Rudolph