When I woke up this morning it was cold and rainy. I don't know about you but my body is slow starting on a day like this. It is completely unrealistic for me to expect that i will wake up and instantly be ready for the day when it is cold and wet outside. I have to prepare for this kind of day properly to be able to function throughout it. It requires me to get up a bit earlier than usual. I stand in the shower a bit longer than usual to get my temperature regulated. I especially need a cup of coffee, on a morning like this, to engage the final start up process in my body and get my engines fully burning. Can you relate to this?
The Lord got me thinking today about how unrealistic it is for me to also expect that i will fully be able to dive into prayer and worship quickly. I mean think about it. If I have been immersed in a cold and sinful world throughout my day or week, would it make sense for me to be instantly ready for prayer, devotion, or worship time? No! I need to take the time to reconnect with God. I have to bring my heart's focus back on my creator and Lord. Now how long I have to spend doing this depends on how deeply immersed into the world I have allowed myself to become. But the point is, I will have to do it.
With the understanding that this is true, why do we get so frustrated when we aren't instantly in the zone with God in our quiet times? Just like when I don't take the time to fully prepare for a cold and wet morning and pay the price, a lack of closeness with the Lord will be the result of me not preparing myself to rest in Him and know Him during my quiet time. You may be saying about now that I don't know your crazy schedule and the small amount of time you have available for the Lord and you might be right but one thing I have learned is that I always make time for what is important including the time to prepare for the task I want to do. Can I expect to cook a full meal without preparing the ingredients? Can I expect my car to stay in good condition if I don't take the time to check my fluids, tires, and brakes? Can I expect to share a deep intimate relationship with my wife if I never put any time into loving on her, learning more about her, and connecting to her? Then why would it be any different with connecting to Jesus?
We live in a culture that wants everything done quickly and with the least amount of hassle possible. We buy frozen skillet creations instead of fixing a meal ourselves. We let the mechanic take care of our cars instead of personally tending to it's ?ime it takes to learn how to love them. Then we wonder why it is so hard for us to connect to God. We wonder why the Christian book we just read instead of the Bible still seems inadequate. We wonder why little prayers with no depth or substance are not drawing us closer.
One of my favorite things about Jesus' relationship with His Father, was His desire to go off on His own to spend time with His Father frequently. Every single part of Jesus' life reflected His relationship with His Father. The Bible is very clear that prayer and knowledge of the scriptures was incredibly important to Jesus. If this was so for Jesus, would it not stand to reason that it would also be necessary for us? Before facing the temptation, Jesus fasted and prayed for forty days. A fast is intended to be a time of sacrifice to grow closer to God. Though Jesus was weakened and hungry physically, He had spent those forty days being strengthened spiritually. Can you imagine the close relationship that Jesus shared during that time of fasting and focusing only on His Father? Though He was the Son of God, He still made it a priority to spend time away from others and the world to talk with His Father.
Now winter is upon us and we are all frantically preparing our homes and wardrobes for the cold. As you do this, think about how you are preparing you heart to meet with God. Think about how you are insulating your heart for Christ against the cold sin of this world. Think about how you are putting on layers of scriptures to shield you from the bitter cold of temptation. We live in a world that seeks to lead us to the eternal wintery torture of Hell. Have you prepared yourself in the Lord to survive this world? Are you trusting Him as your one and only guide? Have you prepared your heart to only follow His narrow way?
Blessings,
Greg
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