Are you a morning person or a night person? I’m an early riser. I’ve never really been a good sleeper. Back in the teenager days when you’re supposed to sleep until noon, 7:00 am seemed to be my limit.
But these days, 7:00 would be heaven. It would be sleeping in by a couple hours. And it’s not by choice. It’s not that I’m being super-spiritual and bound out of bed, ready to pray for hours. I just wake up and can’t get back to sleep. And I’m not always happy about it.
But this morning as I woke up, Psalm 27:8 fluttered to my mind.
My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”
His presence requires a response. He doesn’t get angry if we don’t respond. He just moves on to someone else, but we miss out on what He has for us in that divine moment.
So I got up, made a cup of tea, and headed to the living room. “Lord, I’m here. What do you need from me? Does someone need prayer? What is it?” Because if He’s waking you up early, surely it’s because He wants something from you, right? Otherwise wouldn’t He just let you sleep in?
Well…..as I sat there with my tea, searching my heart for a hint of why He woke me up earlier than early, I heard a whisper in my soul, “No. I don’t need anything. I just want you.”
Wow! Let that sink in. He just wants me. He just wants you. It’s something we all know but need to be reminded of.
Does He need us? Yes. Is there a work to be done for Him? Yes. Do we need to pray and release God’s power for people? Of course. But if that’s the extent of our relationship with Him, we’re missing the mark. We’re living far below the fellowship we could be having. Missing everything that flows out of that intimate connection.
I’m sure there were multitudes of people at that very moment crying out to Him for desperate needs. Healings. Miracles. Provision. Protection. Peace. And at that same moment in time, He came to me, tapped me on the shoulder, and said, “Come with Me. I want to spend some time with you.”
He didn’t wake me up because He needed something from me. He called to me because He wanted to refresh and encourage my heart. He wanted to spend time with me.
I’m so glad I responded. My heart is so full. And loved. And encouraged. And strengthened. So full of peace. And in the middle of May when my schedule is almost succeeding at eating me alive, there’s nothing more precious to me and more necessary to survival than peace.
The whole encounter wasn’t more than 20 minutes. Twenty minutes. How many “20 minutes” do we waste in a day on social media or tv or games on our phones? Selah…
And can I be honest? I almost missed it. It was earlier than my normal early morning. About 30 minutes earlier. And 30 minutes of sleep is like gold to me these days. I was so close to rolling over and going back to sleep, which would have rested my body just a bit more and that’s not a bad thing.
But if I had done that (and I’ve done that before), I would have missed the refreshing of my soul that He wanted to get to me. I’d have missed the fresh life He breathed into my spirit with two little verses.
So if you’re sensing a Psalm 27:8 moment, don’t miss your encounter. Do whatever you need to do to respond. To turn aside. To shut everything else off for a few minutes and let Him breathe new life and refreshing and encouragement into your soul.
It’s so worth it.
