Quiet Time with Jesus
This week is shaping up to be a great one, and for that, I am always thankful.
For two days in a row now, I have had such excellent time with the Lord each morning. I always do this, but some days are better than others...you know what I mean. I've been trying not to rush on these days when I don't have to rush off somewhere, and in that time, I've really been praying some specific things regarding those I know and love. I pray for mine and my spouse’s families each and everyday, but sometimes the prayers are very specific.
I trust the Lord with these things I'm praying, and I have faith that He will move on behalf of those I cried out to Him for. I have loved just sitting and soaking in the Lord's presence, and for two days in a row when I had this time with Him in the mornings, He has felt so very close. The Bible tells us in James 4:8 that as we draw near to Him, He draws near to us.
I know a lot of you have experienced that, and I love that feeling. I usually get so overwhelmed that I cry a little, or a lot sometimes, and I can't help but worship Him in those moments.
If you're feeling a little dry in this area, may I encourage you? Go somewhere private and get alone with the Lord. Sit at a table, get on your knees in a closet, hide in your car - just get alone with Him. And then pray! There is no formula for this. Just praise Him for who He is, give to Him the thanksgiving He deserves, ask Him to show you any unconfessed sin in your heart, and then pray for yourself and others.
Don't neglect yourself, though. Just today I asked God to help me to remain someone who doesn't envy others. I want to be a champion for my friends and sisters, both literal and figurative, and I want to be genuinely excited for other people.
Just this morning, the Lord helped me with this, and I reached out to someone I don't text very often. It was sweet! I know that was Him helping me do that, and I hope that He prompts me to do that more and more.
I mentioned worshipping and singing to the Lord. Sometimes there are choruses we sing at church that are stuck in my head, and I'll sing those. I sing that old chorus, I Love You Lord, a lot. It's so simple, but it's beautiful. Other times, I turn on Spotify and I worship while others sing about God.
Yesterday, I was listening to the song “Spirit Rise” by Travis Cottrell. It's really good, and I encourage you to give it a listen for yourself. Singing songs to the Lord is biblical, though, and even though it may come natural to me because I sing in choir, this is NOT just for singers in choir. Everyone is to do this! Read for yourself in Colossians 3:16.
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
My time reading the word of God has been sweet so far this week, too. I'm going in chronological order again in 2020, and today I read about Joseph in the book of Genesis. I'm a note-taker by nature. This is something I've been doing more since I read a book by David Platt and how he reads the Bible, though.
I read a little and then I summarize. Sometimes, it's just a little bit of summary on my part, and some days it's a lot. I try not to get weighed down with this, but I do always try to at least give a brief summary of each passage of scripture that I have read. This helps me to pay attention and to retain what I've just read. If you've never done that, you should try it for yourself. It helps me later to pray that I'm able to apply something I've read that day.
I pray that as the Lord has been faithful to me, that I am faithful to Him in this. I want to give Him my best, because He deserves that and so much more. If you've not yet spent time with Him today, why not go and do that now? Sometimes we all just need a simple reminder.
This article originally appeared on Overflowing with Thanksgiving.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
When Jennifer isn't focusing on her family of her husband and four (almost) grown sons, she is passionate about leading women to a deeper knowledge of and relationship with Jesus, through the reading of the Bible and through prayer. After years of serving in student ministry, the Lord pulled her out of that and planted her solidly in the women's ministry within her local church. She leads a small group on Wednesday nights, and together they study the word of God verse by verse, and book by book of the Bible. She loves to write, and you can find her sharing regularly on her blog, Overflowing With Thanksgiving. She also loves to sing and to help lead worship at her church, and will always be a choir girl at heart. You can find out more about her and her hobbies on her favorite social media outlet Instagram, as JenLloydGoodwin.