It’s raining here. It’s a little warmer so I’m getting to sit on my “sun” porch, which today is a “rain” porch I guess. Oh I still have a blanket and my heater by my side, it’s not that warm but I am glad to be out on the porch yet and still. This is my favorite room in my house. I sit in this room and I remember the morning that I had a group of my friends here. It was raining that day too and we lingered for hours sitting on the porch under blankets and laughing and ~~ crying, and loving each other. I remember family who has visited and we have spent time on this porch visiting and reminiscing. But most of all, I think it’s my favorite because I meet with Jesus here. Oh I can meet with Him in other places in my home too. I have a favorite chair in our living room and during the winter months, when the porch is too cold I will sit in my chair and have warm fire and meet with him there. During the summer months when the porch gets unbearably hot, my front porch becomes my sanctuary because it is more shaded and there is sometimes a breeze. But this is my favorite place. Jesus has held me, spoken to me, comforted me, counseled me, sustained me and strengthened me from this porch. I am not limiting Him, because I know He could do those things with me anywhere but this is the place that we have carved out to be special to us.
As I am writing this, I am thinking of the night before Jesus was crucified and He went to the garden to pray, to spend time with His Father!
“And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him.” Luke 22:39
He let His friends follow Him but only so far. He asked them to watch and pray, but even Jesus’ friends couldn’t watch and pray the way Jesus wanted them to ~ needed them to. There are some things that can only be worked out with the Father. You can ask for prayer, and you should, I believe in the power of prayer, and I believe in numbers in prayer, but there are some things that only time spent with the Father will you be able to withstand. I think it is fitting too that Jesus went to His Father, knowing what was coming. You see, Jesus knew what tomorrow would hold for Him. Sometimes I wish the Lord would paint me a big picture so I will know what the next step will be. I think that I can handle things better when I know my next steps but really, could I? In this case the burden Jesus must have felt knowing what was coming next made His anguish so great that he sweat drops of blood and that was after the angel appeared to strengthen Him.
“And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” Luke 22:44
No, I think the Lord is teaching me, AGAIN I might add, that He will reveal the path to me as it happens. And that is probably much more of a blessing to me than I realize. You see, the not knowing what each day will hold, especially because of some circumstances in the past few years have made this morning time with Jesus even more important to me. I need to fill my mind with Him before I take on the day. If He painted me that picture I might be more inclined to spend one day with Him and expect it to carry me into the next week, or month, or year.
So today as I listen to the rain falling outside my little “rain” porch, I can only be grateful. I am grateful for the times He has held me and sustained me and strengthened me for things that I didn’t know were coming. Because I know that as long as I keep finding places to meet with Him that he will continue to hold me and sustain me and strengthen me for things that will come my way in the future.
Do you have a favorite place to meet with Him? If you haven’t found it yet, I want to encourage you to look for it. Make it a habit to meet with Him in the same place over and over again. I think Jesus, modeled that for us by going to the garden to pray. Don’t miss the phrase “as was his custom”. Jesus spent time with the Father in that garden BEFORE the night He needed Him so much! You see, even when our world is rocking along and life is good, the time spent in our special place with our Father is strengthening us for those times we will need Him most!
Restore 