Praying, Praising, and Contemplating God

Greetings Everybody,
Well, it's a beautiful day here at the lake...with a light rain falling and a grey haze over the mountain.


All good things must come to an end I suppose, and so our dear friends packed up and left to go back to their own home this morning.


As we said goodbye, a kind of sadness washed over me.


I guess you could say that I subscribe to the theory that there are figurative "windows" in this life.
Some folks might call them "windows of opportunity".


Those of us are like-minded on this issue tend to notice that sometimes a window opens and sometimes it closes.


And often, you can tell exactly when it happens.


For example, last Friday evening a window opened for us.
We arrived at the lake house and soaked up the rest and the stillness and the scenery that God created.


The window opened up even wider when our friends arrived a few days later.
They brought us laughter and lots of good discussions.


Today, as our friends were packing to leave,  I knew that I heard the sounds of that window beginning to close.


I'm not talking about gloom & doom feelings here, just an understanding that this time of "soul-refreshing" is coming to an end.


We have decided to go on back home today as well.
There are some things that we must attend to. 
And some of those things are going to be difficult.
Possibly even borderline dreadful.


Still, I am keenly aware of having been granted a very precious season of refreshing. 
Being still and resting my body & my mind is something that I do too little of. 


I'm pretty sure that MOST people do too little of it.


I am reminded that The Lord knew that people needed time to be still. 


If you look at The Old Testament Sabbath rules, you'll find that though they were about duty & ritual, they also had an inherent recuperative benefit for the Jews. 


On the Sabbath, the women did not cook and the men did not participate in manual labor.


They prayed to God, praised God, and spent time contemplating God.
And in the process their minds and bodies received the rest that they needed.


And YES, I know that what I am referring to is 
OLD TESTAMENT stuff, and YES I am a NEW TESTAMENT  gal, but ya know... there was a certain wisdom to some of that sabbath ritual wasn't there!


When do WE sit down and rest once a week, from sundown to sundown?


When do WE, all of us...our family, friends, and everybody, the whole town, the whole NATION...when do we EVER dedicate 24 hours to praying, praising and contemplating God?


We don't.


And look at our country.


Stressed out husbands, wives, & children.
Stressed out bosses & workers.


I wonder how much money is spent annually on counseling Americans, be they old or young, who are miserable with their lives.


And I wonder how much different things would be if we remembered to pray, praise and contemplate God.
And if in that process, we rested as we should.


It might be an amazing thing to see the positive changes in our families and in our nation if we did that...not because we were forced to, but  because we WANTED to.


That is the kicker isn't it.


WANTING to spend that much time with God, instead of being Mandated to do so.

Its a mindset thing.
And it's a craving for God.


My husband and I have some things coming our way very soon that will take great focus, great concentration, great energy and probably great patience & understanding.


And God has been preparing us for this time that is coming.


This week has been largely about praying, praising, and contemplating God, in preparation for what is coming.


It was a mindset thing.
And it was a craving for God.


I know that we be able to do all that must be done with God's Help.


Not sure how it is for you, but sometimes I can just sense HIS strength about me, and this has been one of those times.  


I have a sense of security in the midst of a pending life-storm. 


Just curious...when you were a child, did you ever go to sleep in the car as your family was headed somewhere?
Do you remember what it felt like to have one of your parents carry you from the car to your bed?


I do.


-Total Trust.
-Total Belief That I Was Loved and That I Was Safe.
-Total Understanding That All Was Well.


God, is like that.


Just when we are so tired that we can not go on, He lifts us and carries us and allows us to rest in HIS ARMS.


As it happens, my husband and I were both exhausted before we got here on Friday night.
And this week we both took lots of naps.
And we both did alot of praying, praising and contemplating God.


And now, by the Grace of God, we will be able to deal with the rest of this summer will bring.


"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13


IN HIM,
Grace