Early last night we were surprised by a wonderful soaking
rain at our house that lasted several hours. After dinner my
husband and I simply sat outside for a couple of hours taking in the smells and
sounds of a steady and refreshing rainfall. How thankful I am to God for his grace
and goodness in providing this bit of relief for the parched ground and thirsty
plants! I ask Him daily to provide large measures of unexpected
rain all over Texas in His mercy, filling our drying lakes despite forecasts of continued
drought in the coming months.
Our souls cry out for drink, much as the dry soil cries out
for water. How can we seek and enjoy a soaking spiritual rain in the midst of
busy schedules that zap the life out of our souls--a drought of the spirit?
The essential to a nourished soul is focused time with God.
Instead of allowing our schedules to drive our spiritual health, we must carve
out periods of uninterrupted solitude first. Rather than prioritize everyone
and everything, give precedence to time for God. I
struggle just as you do to maintain time alone for God’s word, prayer, and reflection. Recognize its necessity to your personal health!
When are you awake enough to concentrate? I can’t think,
much less focus first thing in the morning. I need time to wake up first. But by
the end of a long day, my brain is too tired to concentrate. The only thing
that works for me is to get up early enough to wake up and then have time with God
before I get ready and leave the house.
If you struggle to focus, start with short periods. Find a
few minutes to sit still and quiet and experience the presence of God. Then, increase
your time to include reading the Bible and talking to God, the simple
definition of prayer. Read scripture that is meaningful to you—try the Psalms
or one of the gospels. For years I had visions that everyone spent hours in prayer so I didn't take advantage of short periods of time and lived with lots of guilt and little refreshment. Don't worry about what everyone else is doing, but try something that works for you.
Prioritizing soul time refreshes us with the
presence and peace of God and changes our perspectives of the entire day—job
frustrations, health issues, difficult people, and the little
struggles that come with life. As we focus on God’s goodness, we grow our
gratitude in the little things and learn to trust Him with the big things!
What works for you to refresh your soul?
Posts
Confession: Daily anything is difficult for me to do. I think that's why church is so important to me. I really need that good thorough dousing at least once a week. I've also found the car to be a wonderful prayer closet. I leave off the radio and have serious chats with my Master. I'm probably a menace to other drivers, but I think God protects both me and them, since I haven't even had a close call during my "moving" prayer times. I've also found blogging once a week about my faith to be a great discipline. The blog has to get done, so I have to get in the Word. I wish that I was one of those people who did daily better, but since God made us all different, I think he's OK with us being different.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being so honest, Jane. I do think we must find ways that work uniquely for us. But I would also encourage at least a few minutes of quiet in God's presence each day. It doesn't have to be a Bible study:)
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