Now is the time
Meeting with God in the early morning hours of my messy life can be a challenge. Some mornings I have a headache or I am tired, worried or not ready to be present and focused on God. What do I do? I get on Facebook or check emails and all of a sudden, 30 minutes have disappeared and I am no wiser, happier or more satisfied with life.
However, even when I am tired, worn out or even burnt out on religion, God calls me to meet with Him in the messy middle of my life. He doesn’t care if I have the right words or I am not too terribly awake. He doesn’t care what mistakes I made yesterday or that I am continually procrastinating on what He has called me to do.
He calls me to come to meet Him half way and listen. Here is how I have learned to approach God , even when I’ve been away from Him for a while.
“A man (or woman) who is intimate with God will never be intimidated by men.” Leonard Ravenhill
No Regrets
You can start with no regrets, regardless of where your life is at right now. You can approach Him freely. He delights in you and wants to establish a relationship with you that is based on love, not fear and worry.
You can come to Him with whatever is on your mind and not be afraid to speak your prayers and emotions boldly. Sometimes, I think the more authentic I am with Him, the better for me and for Him.
Sacred Space
Setting yourself up to relax in the lap of God can be more real to you, if you set up a sacred space in your home.This could be the floor of a tiny closet, a special comfortable chair, a spare bedroom.
Where can you go to be quiet, set the stage for listening and be with God? Setting a timer can be helpful so you are not disturbed by watching the clock. You may wish to light a candle, have prayer beads, open a Bible, or write in a journal in your sacred space.
Messy Middle
You have arrived, let go of regrets and are in your sacred space, now what? That depends on what you are seeking in your relationship with God. Where are you in your relationship with Him? As in any relationship, getting to know each other takes time.
Are you in the beginning stages of your friendship with Him? A good place to get to know Him is by reading Psalms, since those are prayers that cry out to Him. Psalm 20 is a great place to start as David cried out to God frequently.
Or are you coming to Him as a long-time friend you haven’t seen for a while? Perhaps you’d like to explore a spiritual practice you’ve not tried that could connect you to Him in a new way. Books like John Ortberg’s The Life You’ve Always Wanted, Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People can help you do that.
Or are you meeting with God like a friend you visit with regularly? If you have been meeting with God regularly, you may wish find fresh prayer practices. Have you explored praying the Offices from Northumbria Community, which let you pray morning, noon and night? Or explored the St Ignatious of Loyola site which shows us how to use more of our imagination in our prayers?
Regardless of the stage of your friendship with God and what you are bringing to Him, you can be assured of the following:
When you are still you can know God.
In quietness and trust, you can find strength,
You are God’s beloved.
What now?
When you read the assurances of being able to know God, find strength and be His beloved, how did you react? On a scale of 1-10 in believability, with 10 being absolutely believable, where are you?
Wherever you are on the scale, I challenge you to take God up on His assurances and take your messy middle to Him. Set up a sacred space, try out meeting with Him and listening. Shed your regrets.
My life is more calm and less anxious because of meeting with Him. My prayer for you is that you’ll start meeting with Him to establish or continue in the relationship that can bring much love, hope and calm to your life.
As a spiritual director, I would love to join you as you seek His fingerprints in your messy life. Contact me for a free session to see how God wants to meet with you. I currently have a few openings. I look forward to joining you on the journey of seeing God in your every day life.
Nancy Booth is a certified spiritual director and author. She walks alongside women who are seeking God’s fingerprints in their live. She helps women shed hurry, worry and disconnect as they seek to hear God’s voice in everyday, living. She wants you to experience more Sacred Moments in your own life. She would love to pray for you. Send your request for prayers to nancy@mysacredmoments.com or check out her My Sacred Moments facebook page.