Inspired by . . . Day 30: the JOY of solitude

Inspired by . . . Day 30: the JOY of solitude

 

This post is part of a 31 day series on JOY

You may access all the past days by clicking here.

 

The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him.

It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him. Lamentations 3:25-28

 

My one word for 2014 is Intentional. My life had gotten to the point where I felt like I was just sort of sailing through, re-acting to things rather than being pro-active about what filled my days. Some things are out of our control, of course, but I felt God calling me to be more intentional about my time.

Part of that had to do with my blogging. I felt God calling me to quantity and consistency in blogging. I’ve worked hard this year to write what He inspires me to write. Who reads it is ultimately up to Him. But a big part of inspired writing is spending time with the One who inspires you! I’ve done better, but I’m no where near where I want to be when it comes to intentional time with God.

 

Any soul who has no solitary place alone with God is in supreme peril spiritually.

 

pdpa_yesteryear

 

After reading that quote from Oswald Chambers you may be thinking that “supreme peril” seems a bit dramatic. If we were having this conversation over coffee, I might get a little demonstrative at this point. I would probably clasp your arm and say, “Trust me friend, you don’t want to be startled into the realization that the breath you feel on the back of your neck is that of a lion! Don’t be so confident as to think you’ll see him coming.”

 

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8

 

Okay, so maybe now you’re thinking I’m being a bit too dramatic. Better drama than apathy.

 

I know what you have done; I know that you are neither cold nor hot.

How I wish you were either one or the other!
But because you are lukewarm,

neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth! Rev 3:15-16

 

You don’t need a blog post from me explaining why time alone with God is important. We all know that it is, and why it is. Personally, I want it to be a habit that turns into a natural occurrence, like breathing. Some of you have this – don’t take it for granted – guard it as if it were your greatest treasure! The JOY of the Lord is our strength!

 

Jesus Christ refers to Himself as “the first and the last.”

It is in the middle that human choices are made;

the beginning and the end remain with God.

The decrees of God are birth and death,

and in between those limits man makes his own distress or JOY.

 

One of those choices is whether or not we put God first. If you’re like me,  not quite there yet, this might be a good prayer:

 

God grant we may learn more and more of the profound JOY of getting

alone with God in the dark of the night and toward the early dawn.

 

pdpa_linenblind

 

And this might be a good question:

 

Do I begin every day by asking God what I should do

and end it by asking how I did?

 

Oh, my, this one resonates, friend. What a perfect way

to {re}align our minds at the beginning and end

of each day!

 

With JOY,

 

 

 

Quotations taken from He Shall Glorify Me and Still Higher for His Highest, © Discovery House Publishers

 

#write31days

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