In the Closet

But thou, when thou prayest, 

enter into thy closet, 

and when thou hast shut thy door, 

pray to thy Father which is in secret... 

Matthew 6:6

Lord, I have shut the door,
Speak now the word
Which through the din and throng 
Could not be heard;
Hushed now my inner heart
Whisper Thy will
While I have come apart
While all is still.

Lord, I have shut the door,
Here do I bow;
Speak, for my soul attent
Turns to Thee now;
Rebuke Thou what is vain,
Counsel my soul,
Thy holy will reveal,
My will control.

In this blest quietness
Clamorings cease;
Here in Thy presence dwells
Infinite peace;
Yonder, the strife and cry,
Yonder, the sin;
Lord, I have shut the door,
Thou art within!

Lord, I have shut the door,
Strengthen my heart;
Yonder awaits the task
I share a part;
Only through grace bestowed
May I be true,
Here, while alone with Thee
My strength renew.

~ William Runyan


(public domain)


Have you spent time in the closet today?


photo: americanbella

Surprise By the Barn Door

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun... ~Psalm 19:1-4

I just love it when God sends little surprises my way--little pleasures to enjoy in His world!

Recently I discovered this solitary columbine growing by the barn door. According to the advice of my green thumbed friend (who gave me the rose to enjoy from her garden!), I was going to wait until it finished flowering and then transplant it to a flower bed. (Unfortunately I didn't tell my husband my plans... He wacked it with the weed eater! But the root is still there, so when it springs back up, I will transplant it right away!)





I so enjoy all the perennial flowers in my yard and garden (most planted by a previous homeowner), but this year, I have especially enjoyed the clematis! It was merely a string last year with no blooms. Look at it this year!




























Here’s what I enjoyed during my tea time with God on a recent morning. I love our times together. He’s the best friend ever!

What have you discovered lately in your world that God has given you richly to enjoy? Have you taken notice? Have you thanked Him?

My Tea Spot

As promised... here's where I have tea with God--at least at this juncture of life! It frequently changes with the seasons. My red chair is a happy, contented place for me to be!

Across the room is our stereo, and I love having a remote control--so I can be lazy!--to turn on relaxing, instrumental music to quiet my heart before the Lord. It helps me to listen for His voice and be content to stay in my chair until I hear from Him. There are other times when I need a lift, and I play an upbeat Southern Gospel CD.

Next to my chair, I keep a basket with pens and coloured pencils/pencil crayons to mark things in my Bible, a pencil sharpener, missionaries' prayer cards that I've collected through the years, and my prayer notebook.

My prayer notebook is where I write specific prayer requests, things that I am asking God for, with the date requested. When it is answered, I circle it in red and write the date answered.

We know that, based on Scripture (Jeremiah 33:3 and countless others), God always answers, even when He seems silent. He is a loving Father, not an absent or aloof Father. Maybe for a time, His answer is "Wait" because He is teaching me something, or He has something better than what I asked for! It is exciting to keep track of His specific answers and to be able to look back and see how He is working in my life!

Comment below and tell me where your tea spot with God is, or share an exciting answer to prayer you've had recently! I'd love to hear from you!

The Sanctuary

"...And let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them."
~ Exodus 25:8

"Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail the incarnate Deity!"
~ "Hark the Herald Angels Sing"

Do you have a special "sanctuary" in your home for God? I'm not talking about a shrine, idol, image, or crucifix. I'm talking about a special place where you and God meet every day? Where do you and God talk?

We know that we are to pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17), but the Bible also speaks many times of meeting God in a "secret place."

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." (Psalm 91:1)

"...I answered thee in the secret place of thunder..." (Psalm 81:7)

"For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock." (Psalm 27:5)

"Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues." (Psalm 31:20)

God wants to meet with you and have a personal relationship with you. Do you have a special place for Him? If not, think about where you can create one in your home. It could be a special chair or even a separate room set aside just for your "tea with God." This past summer many of my quiet times with God were spent at the picnic table in the backyard, with a view of the horses' paddock. I greatly enjoyed meeting God there and watching the sun come up over the pines! It seems that when you have a special meeting place, you're more likely to keep your appointments! At least, that's the way it works for me.

Photos of my secret place and some ideas of things to have in your secret place will follow in my next post.