Arriving at the long-term care home to enjoy lunch and an afternoon with my mom, as I entered her room she exclaimed, "Sweetheart, listen to the beautiful verse I read this morning!" With tears in her eyes and love in her heart she read Christ's invitation to come and talk with Him. Although this was a long time ago, and mom has now been with the Lord for several years, I can still envision her sitting by the window in her wing-backed chair. The joy on her face as she shared her Saviour's call to come and talk to Him spoke of the intimate relationship they had enjoyed for over 70 years. Being in her 90's at the time, her excitement to respond to God's encouragement to come was as enthusiastic as if this was the first time to experience such closeness with God. It absolutely thrilled me that at such a senior age God's Word was still alive and active and mom's life testified of her faithful following for many years.
Setting her alarm clock for 4:00am every morning, mom would rise early before the hustle and bustle of busy family life began. She knew that without intentionally prioritizing time with the Lord, the schedule of the day would steal away the precious opportunity of sitting with God and feasting on His Word. But morning was not the only part of the day she reserved to rest in Him.
As a child, often of an evening, I would race into my parent's bedroom looking for mom, desiring to tell her something, only to halt myself quickly and step back quietly as I encountered mom on her knees beside her bed. Her relationship with Jesus was not a chore to check-off her to-do list early every morning. It extended through every waking hour. She lived in the throne room, practicing His presence and stopping to spend moments with Him whenever His invitation summoned her, or her longing to be near Him drew her.
Losing the luxury of uninterrupted privacy after moving into the nursing home where she could receive round-the-clock care, mom had to become creative. With the simple act of hiding her face in her hands, mom entered her "prayer closet". Her life may have been reduced to one-room living, but in her chair, after reading from God's Word, with eyes closed, she conversed with the Lord. She prayed for the needs of many, including my own. Mom was a mighty prayer warrior. Unable to kneel, due to physical limitations, she continued to bow her heart before her Heavenly Father multiple times throughout the day. It is our heart posture the Lord is most concerned about anyway.
I wonder how many times God speaks His invitation to each of us during the day. I once heard a story of a man who often made plans for lunch or coffee with a dear friend. At every date and time set he would arrive at the café early, eagerly anticipating his friend's arrival. Without fail, his friend would not arrive. Something always arose that prevented him from coming. Still, the man was hopeful. He continued to extend invitations. He never lost that longing or expectation that one day his friend would show up and they would enjoy a time of fellowship together. The illustration was much longer than these short sentences, but you have possibly already made the connection. The "man" is Jesus and the "friend" is each one of us.
Being a visual learner, imagining Jesus coming continually, desiring to spend time with me, never giving up, sitting alone at the table, watching each time the "café door" opens, and being rejected over and over again because of lesser loves, left a lasting impact on me. It absolutely breaks my heart to envision Christ waiting without response.
Today He extends the same invitation to each one of us. Let's not keep Him waiting long.
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