Meet Him

In a perfect world, I would get a cup of hot coffee, sit down in my favorite spot, and spend time with God each and every morning. The silence would be still enough that I could hear Him whisper as if He were sitting across the table from me. I would feel His peace while the Word of God saturated my bones. Sounds dreamy, right? 

As much as I’d love the quiet time, it’s far from my reality. When I get up earlier than my children, they usually sense it and come trickling out one-by-one before I can even press brew on the coffee pot. My quiet time looks nothing like picturesque version above. 

Yesterday, I did some Bible Study on the front porch, while my kids and their friends had a lemonade stand in the yard. It was interrupted a few times as I had to referee and kick one of them (aka Arie) out of the group. Later, I found myself praying while I folded laundry and scrubbed dishes. This is my quiet time throughout this season of raising small children. 

I think quiet time is a phrase that gets hyped up in Christian culture. The reality for most of us, especially as parents, is that we have no actual space or quiet to have time in, so we just skip it all together. However, God’s not waiting for the perfect moment to hear from us or for us to open our Bibles. In fact, He wants to meet us in the mess and chaos of life. 

It reminds me of a story from 1 Chronicles 17. David was feeling unsettled that he was living in a house of cedar, while the Lord’s covenant was under curtains in a tent. Nathan, a prophet, said to David, “Do all that is on your heart, for God is with you.” Then, that night, God spoke to Nathan saying, “Go to David My servant and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build Me a house to dwell in. From the time I brought Israel out of Egypt until today I have not lived in a house; instead, I have moved from tent to tent and from tabernacle to tabernacle... I took you from the pasture and from following the sheep to be ruler over My people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone…” (‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭17‬:‭1‬-‭8‬).

Even David, God’s chosen king struggled with understanding where and how to meet God. A lot of times our human understanding limits (or at least tries to limit) God. We place Him in a box or a designated area, and we try to leave Him there. The reality is: He’s everywhere, in everything.

Because of that, we need to meet Him everywhere and in everything.

Pulling weeds in the garden? Meet Him there. 

Scrubbing dishes or folding laundry? Meet Him there. 

Driving in the car? Meet Him there. 

Rushing out the door? Meet Him. 

Walking to get your mail? Meet Him. 

Seeing a sunrise, sunset, or something beautiful? Meet Him.

Feeling frustrated or stressed? Meet Him. 

It’s not about finding the perfect piece of quiet, it’s about finding pockets of quiet in everyday moments to meet with God. 

James 4:8 begins with “Come close to God, and God will come close to you...”

Friends, God is all around us. He's in everything. He’s in the happy moments and in the hard ones. He’s with us when we cross the street and when we’re in the thick of a mess. He's near our dirty dishes and laundry piles and even present when we least expect it. He’s in our every moment. We just need to invite Him in and meet Him where we are. Let’s focus on meeting Him this week in the places we most often find ourselves. 

Have a great week!