The Best of Intentions

It begins with the very best of intentions.

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Prayer area, snuggled in my bed, low light on ~ check

Bible ~ check

Devotional Study ~ check

Something to sip on ~ check

Pen, journal and anything else I've scooped up along the way ~ check

I have worked hard in "quieting my soul." I come prepared and if I'm being honest (and I am), I have to admit that sometimes it sounds like this:

"Father God, I want to put myself in a place of peace with you....
drats, I forgot to take meat out for dinner, and the girls owe money today for class; have to remember to write that check, trash goes out tomorrow and recycling too."

"Oops, I lost focus for a moment, but I'm back God. I want more than anything to be in your perfect will and oh man, that lesson plan for Friday, haven't done it yet and tomorrow if I get up early I can exercise, and I need to get the kids to get those thank you notes done, and I told them I'd bring cookies to class, what kind should I bake? I really have to get that hair color for my hair."

Again...I've lost my prayer focus.

I'm distracted not by the things that surround me physically, but the distractions in my mind. I've quieted myself and now I have to quiet my soul, and truly 'be still.'

“God never ceases to speak to us, but the noise of the world without and the tumult of our passions within bewilder us and prevent us from listening to him." Francois Fenelon

It frustrates me and I'm working on it. I imagine many women with to-do lists a mile long are plagued with the same distractions. We physically slow down, but we don't slow our minds down long enough to center ourselves on God, and yet we expect to 'hear' Him amidst the noises within our heads that disrupt our time of 'stillness.'

I have come up with a few things that work for a gal in perpetual motion like myself. Before I come to my "quiet time" I make my lists. All of the things that tend to distract me from my time with the Lord. The lists are a mile long some days, but if I make the list, then when I come to my time with the Lord I can focus on what He is saying and not on the tasks of the day. I can mention those things on the list that are troubling my heart and instead of it being a distraction, it becomes part of the prayer.

I've also learned how to not WAIT for quiet time to engage in a heart to heart with my God. This Martha spirit has learned to slow down a bit, and I've learned to pray my way through the day. I have a journal that I'm keeping with me so that when I'm sitting waiting to pick up a child, I can be seizing the quiet moment in the car.

I have tried for the past few years to "set aside" time, and in that I've neglected the opportunities of quiet that appear throughout the day. These "quiet moments" come in unlikely places, usually when I'm doing something that causes others to "scatter." Folding laundry, showering and coming home from dropping a child off at classes are ALL "be still and know that I am God" opportunities in the midst of a hurried life. I am learning that there are opportunities within the chaos to be "momentarily still" and utter a prayer of thanks for the warm water or the coffee that flows. There are times when I can still my soul within the daily demands. I don't have to completely shut down to let God in.

God knows my heart, He KNOWS that I long to have a conversation with Him that is intimate and constant. He understands where I am. He knows what I struggle with and it's in talking constantly to Him that I feel connected, really connected. He hears the interruptions that fill my day, and HE longs to be a part of it all. Talking to Him throughout the day has made it such that when I do 'stop' for the day, I can truly stop and 'be still' with Him, knowing that all along I've been sharing the details He longs to hear. It's in that peace that I can quiet myself and truly, in my quiet time, "BE STILL and KNOW that HE is GOD" (psalm 46:10).

I ponder a quote that I read some time back that has helped me in praying continually to God,

“There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God.” Brother Lawrence

Father,
Guide me as I journey into a more intimate relationship with you. Help me to treat you as my best friend, chatting with you continually throughout the day. Help me to "sieze" the quiet moments that you carefully place in my day so that I may quiet my spirit and "be still," even for a few moments to hear your voice and feel your presence. I want to throw off all that hinders me, and I want to run the race with endurance. I want to feel your presence at my side, not just in the quiet moments but in the chaos that is daily life as well. It's involving YOU in every part of my day Lord that I will draw closer to you, and that is truly my heart's desire.
Amen








Join Lori daily at her personal blogspot, where she can be found finding Jesus in the daily details of her life. She is continually learning how to "be still."