And then she quietly came to sit with Jesus

It is very early in the morning. Not many people are stirring yet.

Though my body begged me just to roll over and go back to sleep, my soul was stirring to get up and go sit with Jesus.

Though I can’t physically see Him, my heart feels His presence.

I decide to open up my Bible to the Psalms and use the verses I read as prayers to start my day. And the more I pray those verses out loud the less I hear all the nagging things of the world. A beautiful melody of truth starts to rise up and suddenly my worries fade in the light of God’s truth.

His perspective on things that are troubling me starts to overshadow my anxiety. Like shade on a hot summer’s day, I feel relief in His presence.

I know that He is preparing me for what I will need throughout this day. He is already standing in every minute of my day and He sees what I will face. So, He’s equipping me to be able to handle what is ahead of me with His gentle boldness, quiet strength, and loving grace.

In Psalm 81: 10, God instructs me, “Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” He will give me what to say today. What to say in happy moments. What to say in aggravating moments. What to say in moments where I feel insecure and what to say when I feel completely confident. What to say in disappointing moments. What to say in response to questions.

He also reminds me that sometimes it is good to keep my mouth closed and say nothing at all.

All the words that rumble about in my brain and those that will proceed out of my mouth, Lord, you be the author of those.

Psalm 84:1 reminds me that God’s dwelling place is lovely. So, I ask God to dwell in me richly. I want Him to be what radiates about me. I want Him to be my pretty today.

Not my hair… or the lack thereof. Not my outfit. Not my efforts of adornment. But simply Him and His spirit dancing invisibly about me… shifting a wrong attitude, guarding my words, and whispering constant truths into my heart.

Psalm 86: 11 is what I ask the Lord to give me. “Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart…”

Lord, may nothing separate me from You today. Teach me how to choose only Your way today so that each step will lead me closer to You. Help me walk by the truth today and not my feelings.

Help me to keep my heart pure and undivided. Protect me from my own careless thoughts, words and actions. And keep me from being distracted by MY wants, MY desires, MY thoughts on how things should be.

Help me to embrace what comes my way as an opportunity… rather than a personal inconvenience.

And finally, help me to rest in the truth of Psalm 86:13, “Great is your love toward me.”

You already see all the many ways I will surely fall short and mess up. But right now, I consciously tuck Your whisper of absolute love for me into the deepest part of my heart. I recognize your love for me is not based on my performance. You love me warts and all.

Have mercy, that’s amazing.

But what’s most amazing is that the God of the Universe, the Savior of the world, would desire a few minutes with me this morning. Lord, help me to forever remember what a gift it is to sit with You like this.

What is one thing you are asking for from the Lord today?  Leave a comment and I’ll join in praying this with you.  Tomorrow I’ll announce the winner of the book from yesterday’s post. 

Happy Wednesday~