By Becky A.One thing that I have been burdened over recently is how we struggle to sit at Jesus’ feet. We struggle. We are in pain. He is our only hope and comfort -- the fuel for our souls -- yet often we don't give Him the time of day. Or we give Him 5 minutes and think that's adequate.
I’m not sure about you, but I am not comforted or refueled in 5 minutes. Maybe I'm a slow learner. There are many words from Scripture to be read and prayers that have to be said for my soul to rest and trust.
If I told my husband that he had five minutes of my time each day, what kind of relationship would we have? It would be shallow. And that is in a human relationship where I can see, hear, and touch him. God can't be seen or touched. It is harder for us as relational people to interact with Him. At least it is for me. I have to pursue Him long and hard. It takes time.
To be honest, the first 15-20 minutes after I wake up, my brain is a total fuzz ball. I can't think clearly about anything. So it's coffee for me and a little de-cluttering of my mind before I begin hearing from the Lord in His Word. I don't want to miss anything, and I don't want to read my Bible just to check something off of a check list.
It's not about the amount of the Word we take in each day. It's more about how long our heart and mind dwells on the Word or the character of our Father and God. In this day and age, we can't stay focused on one thing for very long. Our minds wander. The grocery list or cleaning agenda or school schedule runs through our mind very quickly. It is work - hard work - to discipline my mind and heart on anything, but especially the truths of God's Word and His character.
But knowing that I am easily distracted requires me to accept it and work hard to wage war against the things that distract me. And I MUST wage war. I must do whatever it takes to spend time with Him. Sitting at His feet. Feasting on His Word. Him speaking to me through His Word and me talking to Him through prayer. It takes time for my heart to fully engage with Him and His Word. So if I never give it time, it will never happen. I will just read. I will eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when I could have lobster! It's the difference between nibbling on junk food and feasting on real food.
I don't know about you, but I want lobster. I desire the real deal: time with the Lord that is intimate and personal. Not just knowledge of who He is by reading a little bit about Him. I know about the President, but I don't KNOW him. I want to KNOW my heavenly Father. He knows me inside and out -- better than I will ever know myself. My life is about knowing Him, learning what pleases Him (Eph. 5:10).
And that takes time.
Intimacy with the Lord and godliness requires a pursuit of Him. Any close relationship requires time and attention. It is especially so for our relationship with the Lord. He loves us perfectly, but we learn to love Him back as we spend time with Him. He will never love us less, but for our love to grow, we need to practice expressing it. He doesn't, but we do. He loves perfectly; we do not.
So what kind of love relationship do you desire to have with the Lord? What you put into it determines what you get out of it. There is the possibility of knowing the Lord still more and more, but only as we spend time with Him through prayer and His Word.
As the song goes, "Lord, take me deeper into the glories of Calvary."
This is my prayer.
