He speaks again...

Once again the Lord spoke to me pretty loudly today. It came in this devotion that my dad sent me. My dad sends devotions out every day. I usually get something out of most of them but rarely does one slap me in the face and make me think, "This is me," like this one did today.

I read the Bible everyday. My dad gave me one of those One Year bibles that has a passage from the OT, a passage from the NT, a Psalm and a verse from Proverbs to read every day. This has definitely helped me get into the Word everyday. However, most of the time, I read and then just move on with my day. I rarely really sit and think about what I just read. I mean, I comprehend it but I don't really allow it to really sink it.

Also, when I read this it really hit me that big ol' God wants to just hang out with me everyday. He wants me to take time and just hang. After everything that he does for me and with everything that he has in his hands (which is my no means a burden to him), he wants to just hang out with me everyday. I pray. But I truly long for that prayer life in which I find the time to pray in a "deep, fervent, consistent, persistent way." A life in which "I turn my prayers into conversations with that keep flowing throughout the day, an on-going communication where I never say 'Amen.'"

Read this and I hope you'll be blessed.

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Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. Matthew 26:40

Read this devotional as a prayer:

Help me, Lord, to develop a strong prayer life.

I know you desire intimacy with me, and you want me to watch with you and pray (Matthew 26:40). Yet, I never seem to find the time to pray in a deep, fervent, consistent, persistent way.

What draws me to my knees the most is when I have a problem, when I want something from you, when I need your help.

I'm flipping through my calendar, stressing with commitments, and you just want to hang out - with me. Help me turn my prayers into conversations with you that keep flowing throughout the day, an on-going communication where I never say "Amen."

Keep me close to you, no matter what it takes. I'm not sure I really want to pray that; I have bruises and scars from "whatever it takes" discipleship, but, then again, I confess the crush of these moments have taught me to throw myself on the stone before the stone falls on me. And that has moved me closer to the love that compels my obedience, closer to becoming one with your heart. So, I'm asking that you change me until my deepest want is to be with you.

With this I pray that you will create me worthy of my calling and that your power will fulfill every good purpose you plan for me and energize everything I do in faith. My prayer is that your life will emerge in my face and in my hands, in my thoughts and in my words. I know your grace will make it so (paraphrase of 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12).