Telephones, Prayer Closets, Real Conversations!
“Come close to God, and God will come close to you…” James 4:8
Ellie’s favorite thing to do right now is talk. Brings me back to my childhood. I talked so much that I received D’s in conduct. At one point I began talking really fast. I knew I had to get in all I was going to say quickly before my mom asked for a five minute break from my talking. What can I say? Ellie got this nature from me. I love it though. Jessie and I are always cracking up at the things Ellie will say or questions she will ask. Over the past few months Ellie has often said “Mom talk like me!” I couldn’t understand what she was trying to get me to say. I would repete her. I tried being excited as I talked. I even tried making my voice sound like her voice. Nothing worked. Ellie would always grow frustrated with me and sometimes cry because I couldn’t seem to figure out how to talk like she wanted. One afternoon as we sat on the couch she was asking me questions. “Mom! You like your lunch? I love Jesus! You love Jesus?” I responded to all her questions. Then, she said “now you talk like me!” It hit me guys! My kid just wanted me to ask her questions too? She wanted me to give her more than just a simple answer but she wanted me to have a conversation with her. So, I did! Our car rides are no longer silent like I enjoy, but they are filled with all three of us talking to each other, asking questions and encouraging one another. I have always been a sit quiet in the car, look out the window and day dream kind of girl. Not anymore. Ellie use to be this way too. She would get mad if we tried to talk to her. However, now Ellie wants to talk to us. She wants us to have a constant line of communication with her. she wants to really know us.
Jesus, He wants to really know you. He wants to have an open line of communication with you.
I’m no saint. Spending time with Jesus does not come natural to me. I know people who spend hours with Jesus everyday. They come out of their prayer closet (I can’t even see the floor of my closet) and they are excited telling me they just had the best three hour prayer session with Jesus. I’m over here like 3 hours? Man! Is He sending you to the Mission fields of Africa or something? What could you possibly talk about for three hours? There is nothing wrong with it. Infact its great. However, my prayer time does not look like three hours. Mine is more of a several times a day come to Jesus meeting. In Highschool I remember being terrified to have a quiet time with Jesus. Everyone who got up to give their testimony always talked about what God told them in their prayer time with Him. It was never that He loved them or He was proud of them or that He would never leave them. It was always “God told me to give this relationship up.” “God told me to walk away from basketball.” “God told me to go on the mission field.” This terrified me! If I have a quiet time with Jesus what is He going to tell me to sacrifice? What mission field will He send me on? Don’t get me wrong! I do think that a quiet time with Jesus is where He ask you to surrender things or where He places a call on your life, but I also think it is where He tells you how much He love you, How proud He is of you. How during your storm He will never leave you. I also think it is the time where He wants to hear your heart. What makes you angry? Why are you disappointed? What makes you happy? What are the desires of your heart. I don’t think it is a time that should scare you but it should excite you! Jesus is eager to talk to you and He is eager to hear from you. I think we might at times over complicate quiet time with Jesus. Some of us need a specific time each day with Jesus and others need more than one specific time a day. Here are three places I have my quiet time.
3 places I find quiet time with Jesus:
1.In the shower!
It’s a perfect place. No one can hear me cry if it’s been one of those days.
2.In the car after Ellie has fallen asleep!
I love to turn on my Christian radio and drive around the block a few times until Ellie falls asleep. Then I know I have a few minutes alone in my thoughts and with Jesus. This time with Jesus refreshes me each time.
3.At Bedtime!
I sometimes say I am going to bed but secretly I’m hiding under the blankets talking to Jesus!
The other morning we were waiting on our friends to show up. I never do this but I decided to put on worship music. Most of the time I have Kidz Bop playing. Not for Ellie either. I love Kidz Bop! I spent ten minutes telling Jesus how thankful I am for where He has brought our family and what He is doing in us and through us. I also told Him how angry I felt over a recent disappointment. How sad this disappointment still made me feel. How hard it is to talk about the disappointment. Guess what? Jesus wasn’t mad that I told Him how I really felt and honestly I felt better after. I needed that 10 minutes with Jesus. I needed that unplanned moment with Jesus to tell Him what was really on my heart. In return, He told me that He loved me. He reminded me that He is working all things for His good (Romans 8:28). I left that time with Jesus better then when I showed up.
Jesus is eager to talk to us. We live in a time when at any moment we can talk to anyone who we need to. We can text, E-mail, call, facetime, snapchat and so on. We have a constant open line of communication with so many people. However, we struggle to keep an open line of communication with Jesus. With Jesus we don’t need all this technology to have a conversation with Him. It’s as simple as being frustrated and calling on Him. It’s a simple as getting that promotion and stopping to thank Him. It’s as easy as being alone in the car and choosing to talk to Jesus. It’s as easy as waking 20 minutes early to lay in your bed and have your heart open to hear from Jesus. He will meet you where you are. It makes sense to me now. It makes perfect sense to why I was so confused as I tried to figure out what Ellie was wanting from me. In that time it took me discovering that she only wanted a real conversation with me I found that Jesus wants the same thing. He wants to have a real conversation with me and with you!
Shine4Him 