Hungry

I have written before about how much I love the quiet mornings. There is just something calming about starting the day with Jesus. I have been praying for more depth in my relationship with Him, and this request is causing me to get up earlier and earlier, because that is the most precious, uninterrupted time with Him. Over the last week or so I have been up by 5:00 am, sitting with my Bible, my journal, and my coffee. You would think I would be exhausted by late afternoon, because as any mother knows, I go wide open with my two girls all day long. But actually, quite the opposite is true.

The Word of God energizes me in a way that I cannot explain. Many mom friends have asked me where that hunger for Him comes from and my answer is always the same. It comes from Him. I constantly ask Him for a greater hunger for His word and for prayer, a request my husband has modeled for me over the years. And do you know what...He faithfully answers that request. There are days that can turn into weeks, where I am easily distracted, and I am just not that into getting up early, or I do not have that hunger for God as I should. When those times come, I tell Him how I feel. He already knows what is in my heart anyway. I tell Him I am tired, and I am just not that in to Him today. I confess that lack of desire because that is sin. I am called to love God with all my heart, mind, and strength, and I am pretty sure that those words mean that He should come first, before every single thing in my life.

He wants me to be enamored with Him, to be so in love with Him that I cannot imagine NOT spending time with Him. I am finding that the more time I spend with Him, the more I DO feel that way. It is a cycle...the more time I spend with Him, the more desire He gives me, the more I ask Him to fill me up, the more He pours out on me. On the flip side of that, the more I neglect my time with Him, the more I bury the desire to be with Him.

James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to You."

Pretty simple really. We have a sure promise in scripture that as we seek out God, as we draw near to God, He will meet us there, drawing near to us.

Just this morning, I fought the desire to sleep in. I stayed in my cozy bed 25 minutes after my alarm went off. I opened my eyes every 5 minutes or so and thought about my Bible and how much I would regret it if I lost that early time with Him. Call me crazy, but I think that was Him, calling to me to spend some time with Him. I have asked Him for the desire and He has answered. Even when I want to sleep in, He beckons me to get up, to draw near to Him.

If you struggle with having that consistent, daily time with Him, tell Him. Be honest. Tell Him you do not have the desire for Him but that you desperately want it. Ask Him to open your eyes as you read your Bible and ask Him to give you a desire to talk to Him in prayer. That is a request that He will honor....I promise.


Until next time...