time with God

Wednesday, December 9, 2009 (6:05 a.m.)

Blessed Lord God,

Thank You. Thank You for time to sit quietly before You. Time, to spend alone with You.

Mm, Lord. I so often take this time with You for granted. I don’t mean to. My intent is to thank You and praise You and to get to know You better. But then one thought leads to another and I go off looking in too many directions trying to track down its root.

Take just now for instance. I began my Bible search with the word ‘time’ and was given over 900 verses to look up. Being more specific, I entered ‘time with God’ and narrowed that search down to one page of entries. One of those verses actually started singing to me. But I don’t know its origin Lord.

I’m sure it’s on a cassette of Bible verses set to music that I used to listen to when our kids were small, but I’m having no luck tracking it down. And in the mean time of my searching, I have successfully put You on hold and pushed You to the side again.

So let’s try this again. Yes?

I love You Lord. I love getting to spend time with You. Just You, me, Your Word and a concordance of some kind. Mm. What a gift. What an opportunity.

Take just now. This very instant! Picking up our ‘Psalty’ Bible and mistakenly turning to Psalm 96 (instead of 69 where I was originally headed). Along the way I got to read a Psalty note written for Psalm 90:14. This little lesson titled simply, “Take Time for Jesus” encourages us to “Take time for Jesus every morning. Praise His name. Fill your heart with His joy. Let your whole day be a praise song to Him.” Oh yes Lord! Please!

And then turning two pages to the right is a song I’m completely unfamiliar with. It was written to coincide with Psalm 96:1. ♫Let My Life Be a Praise Song♫ Mm. Yes Lord. I DO want my life to be a praise song to You!

So, I’m giving it all over to You Lord. As I continue with only this partial ability to sing ♫In the time of Your favor You found me (and something, something, mercy You something, something else…)♫ I leave it with You. If You want me to pursue the search, let me know that will you? Otherwise I will leave it safely in Your hands, trusting that You will provide for me exactly what I need to have.

In the meantime I switch over from the New International Version of Psalm 69:13 to The Living Bible and read, “But I keep right on praying to You, Lord. For now is the time – You are bending down to hear! You are ready with a plentiful supply of love and kindness. Now answer my prayer and rescue me as You promised.”

The Bible Handbook refers to this particular chapter as a “messianic psalm quoted in Acts 1:16-20. It is a quiet sharing of David’s personal distress and disappointments, mixed with frequent expressions of trust in God.”

Thank You Lord for yet another example of being able to be ‘real’ before You. Thank You for the opportunity to share our inadequate hearts with You, asking that You would fill us with Your strength, Your power, Your hope, Your love, Your kindness, Your goodness… Yourself!

Lord, I love You. Thank You! For time alone with You! And for so much more! I love You so very much Dear Lord. Thank You. Amen.

(587 words ~ 7:27 a.m.)