We’re back from our vacation in Scotland. It was great. Part of the mission of the trip was to hopefully get refreshed…physically, mentally, and spiritually. While the early evidence seems very positive, time will tell.
Life has a way of wearing you down and we need refreshment, re-creation… some fresh air. Take a deep breath and allow “fresh spiritual air” to revive you. Even the Lord and his apostles drew apart for some rest and retreat.
One thing that has been on my mind is the “purpose” of seeking the Lord. Is it to use the Holy Spirit to accomplish some other goal. “Lord, show me what I need to do to help my friend, my child, to achieve good results at my job, etc.” Hopefully these are all good purposes. Yet I think if this is too often the main purpose, I can miss out on simply growing in my relationship with the Lord…. enjoying time with my Father in heaven, listening to him, allowing him to minister to me, smiling at each other, thanking the Lord, hearing words of encouragement. It’s good to do my duty and certainly to do God’s will… it’s a sign that I actually do love the Lord. But a big part of this duty is to allow God to love me, to enjoy the Lord, to allow him to encourage me.
Even as I write the “Proverbial BLOG”, I can sometimes seek the Lord in order to get an idea or approach for the next BLOG … again not so bad…but, it’s better when I’m just spending time in prayer and an idea pops up out of this time.
Intercession is a very good thing and a sign of loving my neighbor…presenting his needs before the Lord, asking the Lord to help them….. all good. But, just pondering the goodness of the Lord without my notepad of needs, is even better.
“I love you Lord. Lord, thank you for your great kindness. Lord, your mercy in my life has allowed me to breath in eternal goodness. Lord, you’re so gracious to me. Thank you for saving me, for forgiving my sins, and preparing a place for me in heaven…. for loving me even when I fail. Glory be to you my Father, to you Lord Jesus, and to you Holy Spirit. Lord, I just want to be in your presence forever. Help me to receive more of your love and to grow more in gratitude. I do love you Lord…very imperfectly…but I want to love you more perfectly. I want to be pleasing in your sight. Thank you Lord.”
So our homework assignment is to “sit in the presence of the Lord and smile.” Don’t bring your to-do list and 6 books you’re trying to read, don’t brink your phone and check on the news and weather…. just sit. Allow the Lord to give you a BIG HUG; God really knows how to give GREAT HUGS. And the more we do this, I think we’ll also find that God’s also taking care of our to-do list while we sit. And that is very good news.
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