God Dates

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One of my favorite enjoyments in life is swinging in our big canopy swing.  It is big enough to lay down in, and stare up through the trees to bird watch during the day.   If I swing in it at night, I can look at the stars.  I love this time mostly because I get to visit with the creator of all these marvelous wonders. 
It may sound childish to some and idle to others.  What they are not seeing is my worship.  It isn’t something I do for anyone’s approval or attention, rather,  I have simply learned over the years that I need these times with God.   For instance, as a young girl,  I would climb a tree out in front of my house.  I would get far enough where no one could see me, so that I could talk with God about everything that was going on in my life.  As I grew older and enrolled at East Texas Baptist University, I would often take a blanket, journal, and my bible down to the willow trees just beside the college to have encounters with God. I called them my “God Dates.”  It was a time for Him and I to be alone and for me to worship Him underneath an umbrella of His creation.  It was some of the most peaceful times in my busy college life.   So, just like when I was a kid, and a young college student, there is still something about His creation outside that speaks to me.  I feel like  I can simply be me, and all my craziness and worries just subside for a time in God’s warm embrace.  One time during a summer morning, I stayed outside on our swing for hours.  Time just passed by while I sang songs, read scriptures, cried, laughed, and talked to my heavenly Father.  I did not want to leave His presence.   I am sure there were plenty of things I could have been doing.  My  to-do list is always a mile long!  Looking back,  I guess I have always needed a time like this with God.  It’s like in the scripture in Psalm, David states, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.”  Yearning as David did, on my “God Dates,”my soul pants for God.  There is no other way to keep my thoughts clear, my heart ready, and my spirit fed. A great theologian Charles Stanley once said, “We can be tired, weary and emotionally distraught, but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power and strength.” 

My question for you is, “Do you long for your time with God?  Are you too busy minded, or in a hurry that you forget to slow down and just give Him you, all of you?”  God does not have a certain requirement of how we spend our time with Him, He only asks that we do. 1 Chronicles 16:11, “ Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.”  I encourage you to steal away and have a “God Date” with Him.  If you do not have a swing, maybe a place in nature like under the willow trees. 

Dear God,

I praise You for all the “God Dates” we have been on.  I pray I never forget the importance of my time with You.  Amen.

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2 responses to “God Dates”

  1. Joanie Swope Avatar
    Joanie Swope

    Thank you for this reminder! I find myself often always in a rush, needing to just slow down & enjoy God.

    1. Geneva Avatar
      Geneva

      Thank you for reading my blog. I love getting the devotionals you send me as well. Miss you. God bless you.