Draw Me Close To You
Focus, focus, focus… my mind is so discombobulated that I have not been able to sit down for five minutes to concentrate on anything. It seems like every time I try to do this a random “laundry time” pops into my head, one of the kids calls out, “MOM!”, or my phone rings- go figure. Not to mention the fact that I am a little ADHD, and therefore, every little noise or even shadow of the clouds will distract me.
I am off during the summer. Relaxing should be easy. I have quiet mornings while the kids sleep in, I have the afternoons where I could escape to a quiet book store or coffee shop, and in the evenings I could sit by the reservoir and watch the sunset… that would be inspiring. But no-o-o-o… I have busied myself to the point that trying to relax has become a laboring process. Even when trying to spend time with God, I am unfocussed, get distracted, and my prayer time is interrupted by these thoughts, these “mom emergencies”, and outside disturbances. And then, frustration sets in.
But today, I am saying “NO” to all of these interruptions. I am going to sit down, open my Bible, and begin to pray. I am getting a babysitter, finding my quiet space, and turning my phone off for a little while. Shocker- I know- Ya’ll all know how my phone and I are inseparable. Right about now, some of you are probably taking bets on how long this will last. First of all, gambling isn’t right but second, you should be cheering me on and praying that God will help me find this time for Him and with Him.
Okay, so it begins. I pray, “Dear God, Allow me Lord to be in your presence. Allow me to clear my mind and to sit at your feet. Father, I realize that I have been distracted and my focus has not been on you. Please forgive me for turning away and bring me back to you.” I open my Bible in search for scripture that will remind me of how important spending time with my Father is. Woe! It’s one of those moments. I didn’t even use the concordance. The first thing I turned to is Joel 2:12-14 “‘Even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’ Rend your heart and not your garments, Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing- grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God.’” How ridiculous is it for us to think that our time isn’t important to Him and then to make excuses as to why we have not spent time with Him? God wants me (us) to return to HIM! He doesn’t want our sacrifices- God wants ME and YOU. Sure, He gets upset when we don’t spend time with Him, but God isn’t going to scold us when we return to Him. He is “gracious and compassionate”, “abounding in love”, and “will leave behind a blessing”!
Uh-oh- distractions…I’m sitting on the bench by the water. A couple of brim or catfish splashing about every now and then, and an early morning fisherman in his “john boat” is trolling through. Focus- focus- focus. Okay, I’m back on track.
Some of my favorite scripture comes from Psalms. It seems that in every waking moment there is praise for our Lord. I want that. Doesn’t everyone who wants to grow in their relationship with God want that? How do we do this when every day life has the uncanny ability to pull us away from our relationship with the Lord? How do we live each moment with our God? We have jobs to go to, kids to take care of, laundry, dishes, yard work, the oil changed, and in the case of being single…dates to get ready for and go on. Minor distractions and major distractions pull at us from all sides. The Psalms teach us that we should be living each of those everyday tasks with God… This is one I definitely struggle with, but it’s only because of my sinful nature that I allow myself to get pulled away.
Psalm 91:1 “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Wow! Can you imagine having rest (peace in this case) among all the everyday chaos? What does it mean to “dwell” in something? Dictionary.com says that dwell is to exist in a given place or state, and Merriam-Webster.com says it’s to keep the attention directed. Okay, so if our attention is on God and our state of mind exist with God, then we are dwelling in God. Psalm 91:9-11 “If you make the Most High your dwelling- Even the Lord, who is my refuge- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” That’s good stuff!
It should be common sense for us to dwell with the Lord in everything we do. It should be easy to do this. My goal is to have a strong relationship with and to serve my Lord and Savior. I can definitely tell a difference in my heart when my attention is directed on Him. When it is not directed toward my God, I can be self centered, brash, abrupt, and even ignore others around me who may need me. My heart is hard and not as empathetic towards others. On the other hand, when I exist in God and have my attention directed toward Him it is evident in my love I have and show for others. Colossians 3:15-17 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Close in prayer. “Dear Father, thank you for this quiet time. I am reminded in this stillness that you love me and enjoy spending time with me. Thank you for clearing my mind and allowing me to focus on you even in the midst of small distractions. God, may whatever I do in word or deed be done with my attention directed on you and in your name. Thank you for the peace, protection, grace, compassion, and love that you give when I am dwelling in you. Amen.”
