Morning by Morning, July 9 - "Draw Near to Listen"
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Here I am to worship You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Let my soul be still, as I listen for the leading of Your voice. ...
"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God; to draw near to listen is better than the sacrifice offered by fools; for they do not know how to keep from doing evil" (Ecclesiastes 5:1).
Before I speak, let me listen. Before I offer up my petitions and prayers, before I begin to think of the people and places set before me today, let me first draw near to You. To draw near and listen, to watch and wait for the leading of Your voice and the guidance of Your Spirit, helps me surrender my agenda to Your agenda, yield my ways to Your ways, and entrust my day into Your hands.
As I wait in the silence of surrender, seeking Your face and listening for Your voice, it seems I hear You say, "My son, I have prepared a place for you. I see that you have prepared a place for Me. That place that I have prepared and that you have prepared is in your heart, in the depths of your innermost being. That's where I abide in you and you abide in Me, always and forever. As you draw near to Me, I always draw near to you."
Yes, Lord. Come abide in me (John 15:4). Come draw near to me (James 4:8). In You, I want to "live and move and have (my) being" (Acts 17:28). I want to come and dwell in the deep place You've prepared for me, the place where You say, "Where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:3).
Down in my heart, down in the depths of my innermost being, I want to know that I am loved and embraced and never alone. There, I want to "be strengthened in (my) inner being with power through (Your) Spirit, that Christ may dwell in (my) heart through faith, as (I) am being rooted and grounded in love ... (having) the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that (I) may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:16-19).
Thank You for drawing near to me and drawing me near to You. Thank You for speaking to my heart, renewing my soul, and filling me up with Your Spirit here in Your Presence. Now I'm ready to go forth and meet my day because I've first met my God. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, may you draw near to God as He draws near to you in the deep place of His abiding Presence, deep down in your heart, every day. May you know that you are loved and embraced and never alone, renewed in your soul and filled with His Spirit. God bless you, my friend!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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