In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. ~Psalm 5:3
My favorite time of the day is just before daybreak. It’s still, cool and quiet. I pour a cup of coffee, feed my 4-leggeds and crawl into my Big Butt Prayer Chair for my time with Jesus. That is where my day begins. With Him. And it is magical. I read scripture, a few devotionals, I pray for friends, loved ones and a few strangers on my prayer list. I repent of my failings and shortcomings and I lay both my prayer requests and my pride at His feet. There are days I spend 10-15 minutes in that chair, other days longer.
It is during our time together that God reminds me that my life belongs to Him and not to all the lovely folks on my jam-packed calendar. He loves my ministry, of course, but He loves the time I spend with Him even more. And I have learned the hard way that if my day doesn’t start with Him at the center of it, things typically do not go well. I tend to be more critical of myself, a bit short-tempered, kind of cranky, and all-in-all, pretty unlovable! But with my eyes fixed on Him, I feel grounded and have confidence that I can weather any storm.
One of my prayers this morning was for you to find that same joy in Him. I prayed that you would make it a priority to find a special spot to share with Jesus. Maybe it is while you’re cozied up in bed at the end of a long day, during your commute to work or waiting in the carpool line. Whatever works. The time you spend with your Lord will serve you well and honor Him in a big way.
Jesus, our Lord and Savior, desperately wants a relationship with us, but He is the ultimate gentleman and will not barge into our world without an invitation. Instead, He gently and generously offers us the opportunity to unplug from the craziness of the world and plug into our true power source, the Lord of All Creation.
How could anyone turn down an offer like that?