Being a stay-at-home Mom, sometimes I get a little crazy. There have been times where I truly craved conversation with an adult. The worst for me was when my husband was working out of town for a month at a time, and I was at home with a baby and a preschooler. I spent a lot of time at the computer those days. Despite having dial-up service, I would troll through a couple of bulletin boards just searching for a conversation to be part of. Had I really thought on it, I would have known that there was an answer to that feeling of being trapped. And that is that time that I now have daily with My God. What better companion and conversationalist could I ask for! I open my Bible and receive encouragement and instruction. And I can pray and talk to God and tell him everything that is on my heart that day.
This morning I read Psalm 5. Apparently I'm on a Psalm kick these days, because I just love reading them. I love filling my heart with joy every morning before I really get going. My standout verse today is verse 3.
"In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation." Psalm 5:3
Had I just picked up my Bible and remembered these verse those few years ago, I probably would have started my alone time with God much sooner. I will say though, that although I have found the early morning to be my time with God, it wasn't always so. I think the beauty of a relationship with God is that you can have that time whenever you have a chance. You find yourself ahead of schedule, or 15 minutes early for a doctor appointment, that is the perfect opportunity for a little heart-to-heart. I can't tell you how much of my prayer time has been spent at the kitchen sink with a mountain of dirty dishes. It makes the chore much more pleasant, to know that I'm chatting with God while I am doing his work in my home. When Andy and I were first married, on the rare occasion we argued, I always ended up doing the dishes. It gave me time to fume by myself and calm down and become rational again. And even though doing dishes is a chore, it's actually soothing to me now, because it usually ends up being a time for reflection and prayer.
2 comments:
My dad reads a Psalm at the beginning of each of his classes. He has many times had students thank him for making God's word a priority, even at the expense of less time to teach. The Psalm he read the day my grandmother died was Psalm 103 "Bless the Lord, o my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name".
I have recently found great joy in my morning time with God. I've had to get up earlier than I normally would, but that is precious time to me and directs my thoughts through the day. I have a hard time keeping my mind from wandering, so I have found that keeping a prayer journal helps me. Sometimes, I tire of writing things down (it takes longer!) but it's neat to go back and see what was on my heart that day and how God has answered prayers. What a treasure time with God is...you are RIGHT!
I think we've decided that the Psalms are going to be the focus of our next small group session. There is so much wonderful news in there!
Claire, I'm so glad for you that you've found your own time with God. It IS a perfect way to start the day.
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