Read: John 4:1-24 and Colossians 1:24-27
I like to have my time with the Lord in the morning. It suits my personality, and I have found that if I do not do it then, life tends to crowd out the time. During school months, I get everyone out of the house and started into their day. Once all is quiet, I turn off the telephone ringer and settle into my "secret place" for an hour and a half. I look forward to this time alone with my Creator and am jealous over it. I do not want anything to interfere with our special moment together.
One morning, not so long ago, something did interfere. We had been having problems with the van and needed to take it into the dealership for repairs. My husband made all of the arrangements and scheduled maintenance for the morning hours of the next day. I would have to follow him to the dealership and wait while he attended to the necessary paperwork. Then he would drive me back home and take the car to work. The dealership was about thirty minutes away (on a good day). I anticipated that the entire trip would take about an hour and a half - exactly the time I had set aside to spend with the Lord! Driving along behind the van, I began to talk aloud to the Lord. I expressed my disappointment over having to give up our time alone to handle the affairs of life. As I was speaking, the Holy Spirit put the scripture from John 4 in my heart. He reminded me that He is not limited to a particular place or time.
The Samaritan woman expressed confusion over this very issue. As she detected the authority of God in Jesus, she posed a question to Him that had been troubling her. Where is THE right place to worship? Is it in Jerusalem or on this mountain? Jesus, as He so wonderfully was accustomed to doing, did not answer the question but the issue that the question represented. God is Omnipresent. Wherever you are, He is. Jesus knew that within a short period of time, His death and resurrection would catapult her (and us) into a new dimension of relationship with God. No longer would she have to be concerned about rituals. No longer would she have to wonder where the presence of Almighty God was located. God, through Jesus Christ, transformed the understanding of Him from "God among us" to "God IN us." He is not in the tabernacle behind the veil. He is not in Jerusalem or on this mountain. HE IS IN US! As we receive Christ into our lives, He takes residence in us through His Spirit.
Encouraged by the Lord's Spirit, I began to have my time with the Lord in the car. I sang to Him, talked about the plans I had for the day, and prayed for the needs of others. The thirty-minute trip that had started out as a gripe session turned into a most wonderful and uplifting journey. I do not substitute this kind of prayer time for my hour and a half in the secret place. But I thank the Lord for reminding me that when life does not permit me to have that special time alone; I can still worship Him. Whatever has interrupted my plans - my journey to the doctor's office, dentist, or grocery store - can be turned into a time of worship. God IN us - what a blessed gift!
Prayer
I thank You Lord, that I can trust my life into Your hands. Thank You for loving me enough to desire and plan good things for me. Help me to make decisions based on YOUR design for my future. Amen.
