1. Jesus wants to meet with us far more than we want to meet with Him.

• The chapter says Jesus has been waiting for this moment for a long time. Is that the Jesus you have pictured? Describe the one you have pictured.
• Where did you get your idea of how God feels about you — a person, a church, a silence, a wound?
• If He wants this meeting more than you do, then what is actually holding you back? Say it plainly.

2. You can meet Jesus anytime, anywhere, anyplace. You do not need a priest or a pastor to facilitate a meeting with Him.

• Read Psalm 145:18. “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him.” Who does that verse leave out?
• Have you been assuming you needed a building, a leader, or some better moment before God would deal with you? Where did that assumption come from?
• Name the room you are sitting in right now. Are you willing to meet Him here, before you go anywhere else?

3. As you reach out to Jesus in faith, He will respond and meet you right where you are.

• James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Which half of that sentence is your part, and which half is His?
• What does drawing near actually look like for you — not in theory, but right now, out loud?
• Have you ever reached for God and felt nothing? What did you conclude about Him then? Was that conclusion fair to Him?

4. Repentance simply means to turn around — rejecting our own way that leads to death and embracing His way that leads to life.

• Proverbs 14:12 says there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. What way has seemed right to you?
• 2 Corinthians 7:10 calls it godly sorrow. Is there anything you are genuinely sorry for, or only sorry you got caught by?
• Turning around means turning away from something specific. Name it. Are you willing to lay it down today?

5. Jesus is not looking for perfection, just sincerity.

• Have you been waiting to get cleaned up before you talk to God? How is that going?
• The chapter says if you cannot sincerely say those things, tell Him that instead. So what is the honest thing you would have to say to Jesus?
• Now say it to Him out loud, not in your head. What makes that hard?

6. Shame and the cares of life can hinder our meeting with Jesus, but nothing can separate us from His love.

• Adam and Eve hid from God because of shame. What have you been hiding, and who from?
• Read Romans 8:35–39 slowly. Which item on that list is the one you were secretly afraid could separate you from Him?
• 1 Peter 5:6–7 says to cast all your care upon Him. Name one care you are carrying and hand it to Him now. What would make you want to pick it back up?

7. Emotions do not cheapen spiritual connection; they were made for it.

• Have you ever dismissed something God was doing in you by calling it “just emotion”?
• Who taught you that feeling something in God's presence was suspect? Were they right?
• God made your emotions — they are His genius, not ours. What would you do in His presence if no one were watching? Are you willing to do it anyway?