Nowhere can we get to know the holiness of God, and come under His influence and power, except in the inner chamber. It has been well said: "No man can expect to make progress in holiness who is not often and long alone with God.” ~Andrew Murray
The yarns were tangled, beads and wiggle eyes mingled with buttons and brads. The pipe cleaners were hidden under a pile of felt and the paint pots were separated from the brushes. Scissors, glue guns and glitter formed an unhealthy alliance. Fragments of craft foam hid the tiny feathers once used for a bird’s tail, while art markers had a mind of their own and were scattered among it all. Requests for "Where's the red ribbon?" caused me to panic and search through craft drawers in hopes of finding it. For an organized mind, this was not working.
An idea on Pinterest caught my eye. An old dresser, minus the drawers, painted and sanded into a Shabby Chic beauty. It was filled it with clear shoeboxes--that sure spoke to me. As I should have guessed, a trip to all my favorite thrift shops yielded not one suitable dresser. So I improvised.
I emptied a bookcase, found an online source for black photo boxes, and waited -- a bit impatiently -- for them to arrive. What fun! My handy dandy labeler printed my labels with glee. I certainly got my organizational fix by the time my project was finished.
Sometimes my prayer time gets all mixed up without any organized thoughts. A health request for a friend gets all tangled up with thoughts of an idea for a blog post. My praises for blessings are hidden under planning a meal to serve on my new yellow dishes. Prayers for my grandchildren are shoved aside by the planning of a craft project Morgan would enjoy. In desiring to communicate with my God, the disorganized thoughts pushed out that closeness I craved. When praying for one of my small group friend’s needs, I'd find myself telling God how to solve their requests, as if He needed help with organizing His answers to my prayers.
F. B. Meyer said, The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer but unoffered prayer. In allowing my mind to travel its own course, I was cheating those for whom I had promised to pray. I wanted so much more from my communication with my Heavenly Father.
So... after pondering and praying, I've come to the conclusion to re-focus by saying aloud -- Dear Lord, I want, above all:
A heart filled with Your holiness
A mind filled with the sacred
A strength from a contrite spirit
Open hands and heart
An inward quietness
Sincerity motivated by faith
Admittedly, I haven't arrived, but I'm on the road. I'm getting my thoughts in the right boxes, I'm setting both eyes on the Throne of Grace, and I’m meeting God—alone and long.
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16 comments:
I relate to your thoughts here and I really appreciate the quotes you chose to include. May He finish the good work He started in us and make us to have that undivided spirit and focused prayer time we desire! ;)
bless you dear.
I love the quotes here and what you ask God for is so simple but great. Thanks for the inspiration.
Summer @ chocolateandsunset.com
I am so amazed at how often I still don't remember to bring things to the Father in prayer, when he is the very one who has the power to change things. Thanks for this reminder to take everything to him!
Oh, I love organization. Oh, I love it. Mostly because I really hate mess. You are so right, though - perhaps my messiest place are my thoughts and I want to clearly communicate with Him on a daily basis. I'm grateful that He is Lord of my mind so that when it is a tangled mess, He can help me sort it out again.
Thanks, Pamela! By the way, I gave your name to a ladies church group here in North Central Arkansas who will be looking for a guest speaker next year for their ladies retreat. If it should work out, I would be SO HAPPY to get to meet you in person!
Thanks for the encouragement today. I liked the part about unoffered prayers. So many times I think we forget to lift things up to God and thus deprive ourselves from His work in that situation.
I'm always impressed with your spiritual discipline. I hear you on the need for some kind of organization with prayer time, as it helps with the distractions that are all too common in this life.
Marissa
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I know that I wasted many days while I was a mother of young boys. These days weren't wrapped in prayer like I know I should have. They're all grown and I'm retired from teaching. I now take the time that I should have about 40 years ago. God is so gracious and forgiving.
So beautiful. I think so many can relate to wanting an inner peace right now. And I love your encouragement to get together with God--often and long. Nothing else can bring such peace. Amen.
Blessings,
a different way to look at prayer :D
Holy Smokes... the quote you posted about unoffered prayer slayed me. I'm writing it down so I will remember it! I am like you in so many ways... disorganized thoughts lead me on a rambling journey in prayer, so much so that I end up frustrated and then prayerless. Thank you for this timely reminder!!
I can always count on you for beautiful quotes or excerpts of powerful scripture. So nice.
This is beautifully written. Thank you for this reminder to take *everything* to God in prayer.
Being alone with God is essential to growing in our relationship with Him. Prayer is so vital both to hear God and to tell him what's on our hearts.
What a beautiful illustration! It is hard to concentrate when your thoughts are all over the place
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