"7" Minutes Alone with God

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…(He) prepares a table before me   (Psalm 23:1 Amp) Watching my daughter prepare bottles for my infant grandson reminded me of our Heavenly Father’s provision for us.  Having boiled and cooled water, she carefully measured exactly 4 ozs. into several sterile bottles, inserted a sterile nipple into each one, sealed them and set them aside in readiness. Her eye was on the clock as feeding time approached but she waited for the baby to give the signal that he was hungry.  And signal he did.  In the blink of an eye, he went from cooing to howling.  During the brief moments it took to uncap a bottle, scoop in powdered formula, and shake to mix it, he continued to wail out his demands. From his actions, one might assume he was starving.  Or in the habit of being ignored or neglected.  He was unaware that final preparations were being made to meet his need.  Wisely, his mother had waited until her son fe...

For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance  so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God  (Hebrews 10:36 Amp) Modern technology has virtually eliminated the need for us to wait.  Instant telecommunication, instant-prepared food, and instant reproduction of printed materials are part of our everyday world.  Millions flock to products that promise quick pain relief, loss of unwanted pounds, and clearer, more radiant skin. It is no surprise then that we become impatient when faced with circumstances that require us to wait.  We know Scripture instructs us to be patient and wait, trusting the Lord, but try as we might to obey, we often find ourselves worried and fretful. At such times, it is helpful to think of patience and faith as spiritual muscles.  Just as physical muscles develop over a period of time during which they are stressed and pressure is regularly exerted, so circumstances that are beyond our control to alte...

Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength   (Nehemiah 8:10) There is much in our world to make us anxious.  Inflation is up as is the crime rate.  Though some may earn bigger salaries, money doesn’t go as far as it once did.  We own more, but feel less satisfied and struggle to find time to enjoy what we do have.  We are stressed out and stretched thin, overfed yet undernourished and out of shape. We desire to live according to God’s instructions, but find ourselves hindered by what our culture terms political correctness.  Expectations of family, friends, co-workers, fellow church members and countless others may prevent us from being all He is calling us to be. Under these circumstances, it is easy to fall into an attitude of defeat.  Is it any wonder then that non-believers are uninterested in becoming Christians?  Why would they be drawn to a religion that offers no more hope, joy or satisfaction than they are experienc...

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me   (John 14:1) I hadn’t slept all night which wasn’t unusual for an insomniac like me.  I intended to go to bed but as the evening worn on and my energy increased, I decided to work until I got sleepy.  The next day was Easter, and following morning worship we were having guests for dinner; there were still preparations I could make that night.  Hours passed but sleep didn’t come so I kept going.  It was satisfying to see my to do list shrink as the hours ticked by. About 5:00 the next morning, as I checked off the last item, it came to me that, all across the land people were getting ready for sunrise services.  Our church wasn’t having one so I decided to have my own in our sun room, praying, meditating, and watching for the sun to rise. Easter that year fell on the first day of daylight savings time so there was very little light in the sky as I entered the darkened room. I a...