Tag Archives: quiet time

I just want to be where You are

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I woke with a song in my head this morning, a song we sang in church quite a while ago.   The words of the chorus say,

I just want to be where You are,
dwelling daily in Your presence
I don’t want to worship from afar,
draw me near to where You are

I just want to be where You are,
in Your dwelling place forever
Take me to the place where You are,
I just want to be with You.              (by Don Moen)

I haven’t heard that song or thought of it for such a long time but my heart rummaged around and found it in the back of my mind, then started singing without me before I even woke up.

I got up and went outside to my favorite spot on the porch and sat down.  “Here I am, Lord” I prayed again.  Immediately I heard in my heart, “I see you and already know you’re here with me, because I was with you as you slept and watched, waiting for you to wake.  I always know where you are and I’m always with you.”

I realized, as I have before (but you know how I have to be reminded things), that quiet time with God is not going somewhere to be with Him because He’s always with me, but it’s going somewhere to be with only Him.  It’s drawing myself apart from distractions and other people, saying with that action “I love you, God, and want to be with just You right now.”

My devotional echoed what God had told me, that nothing can separate me from His loving presence.  Nothing.  And, since I have absolutely no control over the things that happen in my life or in the lives of those I love, I can just trust Him and relax in His presence all throughout my day.

What greater thing do I have to be thankful for than that?!  Thank you, Papa, for your presence with me always.  Help me to remember that, to be more aware of You, to be tuned more finely to Your voice and Spirit.  Thank you for loving me.  I always just want to be where You are.

I can never escape from your Spirit!
    I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
    if I go down to the grave, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
    if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
 even there your hand will guide me,
    and your strength will support me….

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
    They cannot be numbered!
 I can’t even count them;
    they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
    you are still with me.   –  Psalm 139:7-10, 17-18

I’m trying

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I started out for a walk this morning, camera and iPod in hand, but the little clouds of gnats everywhere eventually convinced me to head back to the house and try again later.  Instead, I sat on my parent’s porch in my new favorite spot, watching the busy flurry of birds at dad’s feeders and listening to their many different calls, along with the far-off mooing of a cow.

“I’m trying, God,” I prayed, “I’m trying to just be still and be with you.”  My thoughts started wandering to the things we did yesterday, my girls, the future, the things we’re planning to do today and so on.  I was frustrated with myself.  “I’m trying to just be still, God.  I’m here.”  It almost felt like he said, “What are you expecting to happen?”

“Well, I would love for you to help me stop thinking and just be.  I would love for you to tell me things.  I would love to feel your presence, feel closer to you.  I want to know you better, Papa, be closer to you.”   The quiet sound of the morning crickets and the busy birds continued.  Then I looked past the birds and saw the mountains behind, far off across the valley.  They are bluish-purple this morning with a crown of fluffy clouds resting on top, the sun lighting up patches here and there among cloud shadows.

A song came to mind, the words taken from Psalm 121.

“I lift my eyes to the hills, and I wonder, ‘from where comes my help?’
My help, it comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let you stumble, He will not let you fall,
The Lord is your keeper.
The sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon at night,
The Lord will guard your life.”

Maybe sometimes it’s not the receiving of an amazing message from God that draws us close, maybe sometimes it’s just sitting there available.  Maybe it’s just remembering that He is my Maker, He is my Keeper, and enjoying the peace of that thought and truth.  He is with me, whether I hear his voice in my heart at this moment or not, whether I feel the emotional warmth of his nearness or not.  He is near.

I pictured Jesus sitting next to me and longed for Him to actually be there so I could lean against Him.

“I’m trying, God.  I want to be near You.  I want to hear Your voice.”