Morning Moments

"My soul waiteth only upon God [marg: is silent unto God]; from Him cometh my salvation." (Psalm 62:1)
Are you at rest today? There is no rest apart from His breast. He has a heart for us and creates in us a heart for Him. We hear Him speak silently in a world of noise. Many of us cannot get into an automobile without the radio of CD playing. We often can't sit at home without some sports or other TV program in the background at least. We work with noise and often worship with noise. It is time to shut it all off, shut ourselves in the closet and wait silently for God to show up.

One of the reasons I love the early morning hours is because of the quietness. Later in the hours, the kids are crying or wanting something, the daily chores of breakfast (at least coffee) are calling, and we are so busy – usually too busy to listen in total silence in waiting for God...NOT waiting on Him, but for Him, before Him, with Him.

The verse says, “my soul”. There are a couple of interesting things about that. In the first place the meeting is personal and in the second place it is private. It is for me and it is away from any and all distractions.

I once had a preacher friend say to me, “You pray, don't have time”. Had sad to think that anyone does not have time for God and time for complete quietness (silence) before Him. Ravenhill use to say, “If we will bless, then we must bleed, for prayer is the blood of the soul”. What we are in the closet is really what we are! We tend to run to God in crisis because we have not been with Him in the closet.

To “run to” indicates that we are a distance away. Remember, waiting on Him PRECEDES working for Him. John Wesley used to pray for about four hours every morning, but the more he had to do that day the more time he spent in prayer.

I remember praying with Lynn Ravenhill at my side, or listening to him pray. He often shared with me about his experiences with A. W. Tozer in prayer. Oh, precious one, it is the closet, not the charisma, the celebrity, the church, the collection, or the castle that God honors – it is the CLOSET!

Jesus said, “enter your closet and SHUT the door...ask Father in SECRET and Father who HEARS in secret WILL reward you openly”. Seems to me that means “You don't beg, borrow, or buy” without hearing from God. You don't see the lost until you see the Lord. You don't go to work until you have gone to worship. You don't SING in public until you have met Him in private. You don't preach a sermon until you have purified your spirit in secret with Him! AND, you don't publish your manuscript with permission from your Master.

It is far too easy for us to “come out of the closet” than to stay “in the closet” until we are clean, consecrated, and consumed with the presence of GOD Himself. WE MUST COMMUNICATE with Him before we can convince anyone else of the reality of His presence, power, and purpose.

BLESSINGS!