CHFWeb: Precious Time With the Lord-Quotes to Ponder

Precious Time With the Lord

I sat sipping coffee, listening to my children talk and giggle in the next room. They were supposed to be doing their math. One of my dogs was staring out the window at our bird feeder. It was a center of activity as our feathered friends ate their breakfast. My other dog was loudly lapping water from the water bowl, probably spilling half of the water on the floor.

The moment made me smile and so very thankful. For some reason, I started thinking about a trip we had made to visit dear friends over two years ago. One evening, during our visit, we had sat up, talking late into the night. We talked about times the Lord has called us to pray and times when we knew others we're lifting us up in prayer. Too tired to stay awake any longer, we prayed, thanking the Lord for this special moment, hugged each other, and went off to bed. The next morning had been like this morning, full of giggles, good coffee, and precious moments that made you smile and thankful.

These are precious times from the Lord, but, even more, these are precious times WITH the Lord. Next to spending time in prayer, in communion, with the Lord, I love spending time with others sharing about the Lord. Praying, whether by myself or with others, is more than a gift from the Lord. It is a privilege, a command. In his book, With Christ in the School of Prayer, Andrew Murray wrote ...

Nothing delights Him more than to find those whom He can take with Him into the Father's presence, clothing them with power to pray down God's blessing to those around them, training them to be His fellow-workers in the intercession by which the kingdom is to be revealed on earth.

What do you think about that? Delighting Christ!! Prayer is a delight, but it also very serious. A committed prayer warrior is wise to have others praying for him/her, just as he/she prays for others. Read this picture that Anne Ortlund paints of the "business of prayer" in her book, Disciplines of the Heart ...

What a lofty, all-encompassing business prayer is! We lift our hearts to God, and we discover we have joined a numberless company around the world and in heaven itself! We have left time and moved into eternity! We have, in a sense, shed our mortal bodies and moved, ahead of schedule, into our future glory with Him!

I don't blame her for all of those exclamation points. What an exciting, purposeful, meaningful life we have available to us as children of God! Each day, no matter if that day is filled with the day-to-day routine of homeschooling or with a trip to visit dearly missed friends, is a day in Christ, in the Father's presence, in the Holy Spirit's training.

It's later in the day now. I can hear my children laughing in the next room. They have both been in silly moods all day. One of my dogs is barking at a squirrel trying to get to the bird feeder. My other dog is laying at my feet, waiting to go outside when I finish this up. It's a quiet, kind-of-lazy homeschool day. And my Lord is here, too! Thank You, Lord!

Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.
O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;
But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.
Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.
The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
- Psalm 16

February 11, 2000
© 2000 by Kathy Ridpath
Please ask for permission to reprint this article, ridpath@chfweb.com. Thank you!

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With Christ in the School of Prayer
by Andrew Murray
I usually buy any Andrew Murray book that I run across at used bookstores. His writing has been such an inspiration to me. This particular book is one that I often turn to for deeper insight into the reason we pray. --Kathy Ridpath
Paperback: *Order Now!*

The Gentle Ways of the Beautiful Woman : A Practical Guide to Spiritual Beauty
by Anne Ortlund
This book contains three books: Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman, Disciplines of the Heart, and Disciplines of the Home. I think it is not only a great deal with the three books in one volume for a very reasonable price, but it is an encouraging and enlightening read for any Christian woman. -- Kathy Ridpath
Hardcover: *Order Now!*


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"And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord;
and great shall be the peace of thy children."
Isaiah 54:13