I have learned to welcome being alone with Yahweh (GOD).
Raised by my grandmother—who was busy and whose children were already grown—I would often play by myself. I named all the flowers in the tiny garden in front of the house, created classrooms with bottles and cans, and developed commentary on every bird or lizard that skittered across my sight. I became comfortable being by myself.
Now that my life has changed and my responsibilities have multiplied, it is difficult to find those moments of solitude, but I make sure to get alone time with the Father so I can become centered and focused. The result is a refueling that makes me wonder what took me so long.
Replenishing my spiritual fuel is no longer a mechanical express stopover when I am on empty. I now step into the moment with a sense of relief and expectation. Like walking into a spa knowing I will lose myself in the aromas and the soothing massage of God’s love on my heart and mind. I go in prepared, but prepared to do and say less. I sit and wait, following the lead of the Spirit. Just thinking about His love and the opportunity to come away with Him is enough to loosen the tension knotted together by cares and anxieties.
After a quiet time comes the adoration and appreciation for the One whose presence beckoned in the first place and for the forceful presence of His anointing to direct my praise and prayers—making intercession for others and myself. It is a lesson in love—a narrative of peace that I hear in my heart as I move back into a noisy world crowded with responsibilities. But now I am ready and full of joy and peace. I’m ready to share myself again.
Our Father never delays or disappoints us. He always shows up for those who are willing to wait without an agenda and with patience. Moses was on the mountain for six days, content to sit and wait in the cloud for instructions to build (Exodus 24:16). The apostles waited for days for the coming of the Holy Spirit’s fire.
Find the value of waiting in His presence.
(Photo courtesy of the author.)
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
Sharon Haughton is a writer, preacher, encourager, youth leader, and so much more. She has a passion for people and a desire to help those in need. She loves the word of Yahweh (God) and using the Word to help others. The article,”Beauty for Ashes,” is something she wrote during a time when she and her loved ones experienced the loss of a friend and family member in Jamaica from a sudden and tragic car accident.