No…I’m not talking about that kind of intimacy.  But come to think about it…it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea.  No, the intimacy I’m talking about is in our relationship with God.  Have you ever run out of gas?  How did you feel?  Personally, I felt stupid that I had let such a thing happen to me, when there are gas stations in abundance.  Erroneously, I had thought that I was too busy to stop for gas and that I could go on just a little bit longer.  I was wrong.

How many times have you and I run out of gas spiritually, emotionally and/or physically?  Although there have been opportunities to stop and refuel, if we would have just taken them, we keep on going because there is so much to do. There are SOOOO many responsibilities with being a woman in leadership.  We think that we can make it just a little bit farther.   We long for that quiet time with God, but there are so many demands on our time, that we relegate our time alone with God to snatches here and there.  But what we need; what our soul desires is a heart-to-heart chat with our dear Savior and Friend.

What we are hungering for is intimacy with God.  The word intimacy comes from the Latin intimus, which means innermost.  God’s desire is to let you and me in on His innermost thoughts.  “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”  Jer. 33:3  This takes time, focus and yes, effort.  But it is worth it.  Here are some creative ideas that can help give your prayer time a punch or at least give it freshness.

1.       Make your prayer more concrete by writing it out as a letter to Jesus.

2.       Go on a prayer walk, talking to the Lord as you walk along.

3.       Pray through Scripture.  Write out verses and personalize them with your name.  For example, Psalm 84:11, “No good thing does he withhold from Susan.”

4.       Make a poster with one of your favorite verses on it.  You may choose to take a photo and have it developed into a poster, then write the verse on the poster.

5.       Read the Bible through, mark it up and give it as a gift to a child.  As you read, try to picture God through his or her eyes.  Mark verses that you think will help the child in the transitions to come.

6.       Make “devotion baskets” and place them in several areas of your home.  Decorate each basket and place in it a pen, a Bible, a devotional or inspirational book and paper.

7.       Sing for your entire time with God.  You may want to try your hand at songwriting too.

8.       Dance before the Lord like David.  Maybe you enjoy Jewish dancing or ballet.  Try it in your alone time with God.

9.       Begin a miracle scrapbook, similar to the one that we have in our prayer room.  However, keep photos and mementos that will remind you of God’s grace to you and can be passed down as a heritage to your children.

I could go on and on…but why don’t you send me some of your ideas and I will share them on the web next month.  E-mail them to me at pastorc@clctoday.org.

Thank you and God bless you!!!

Posted under Pastor's Wives