Abiding

When I think of the word abiding, I think of a period of quiet time in communicating with the Lord, or simply sitting quietly in His presence.  It means being intentional in being with Him and Him only.

It is not always easy for me to accomplish this because of many distractions, many just in my mind, like thinking of things I "should" be doing, the schedule of the day, fears or hurts to be worked through, and visual or noise distractions.  I call it my wandering mind and it must be tamed in order to truly abide.

Some ways that help me find that abiding time is: meditating on scripture, voicing words of thankfulness, sometimes having softly played worship music, finding a quiet place, and a designated place, and a prayer shawl to shut out visual distractions.  Praying out loud is especially helpful for me.

There is immense value in abiding time with the Lord.  It brings joy, contentment, security and protection from worldly problems, and a deep satisfaction.  Most of all, I know it pleases my Lord.          
       Judy

Near to the Heart of God

A.W. Tozer writes in a classic book about a "Praying Plumber". Tom Haire was a man with little formal education, yet when they prayed together, Tozer said, "when his hand clasped my hand with that of a distinguished churchman and theologian, he poured out his heart in prolonged intercession. . . . Tom had not learned to pray in any school of human tutoring, but we had been listening to a man converse with God who knew from the Spirit's tutoring the concerns of the Father's heart and the vocabulary of the heavenlies".
Tozer's book continued with a description of this man. "Tom Haire is a rare compound of deep, tender, devotion, amazing good sense and a delightful sense of humor. There is about him absolutely nothing of the tension found in so many persons who seek to live the spiritual life".
He says, "Too many of God's people are straining for faith and holding on hard trying to exercise it. This will never do at all. The flesh cannot believe no matter how hard it tries, and we only wear ourselves out with our human efforts. True faith is the gift of God to an obedient soul and comes of itself without effort. The source of faith is Christ in us. It is a fruit of the Spirit”.
“Tom is completely free in the Spirit and will not allow himself to be brought under bondage to the rudiments of the world nor the consciences of other people”.
"He will not allow himself to get righteously upset about anything. "I lie near to the heart of God," he says, "and I fear nothing in the world".
“That he lies near to God's heart is more than a passing notion to Tom. It is all very real and practical. "God opens His heart," he says, "and takes us in. In God all things are beneath our feet. All power is given to us and we share God's almightiness." He has no confidence at all in mankind, but believes that God must be all in all. Not even our loftiest human desires or holiest prayers are acceptable to God. "The river flows from beneath the throne, " he explains, "and its source is not of this world. So the source of our prayers must be Christ Himself hidden in our hearts."
“Wherever there is a strain in the life we may be sure the flesh is operating. The Holy Spirit gives fruitful burdens but never brings strain”.
Things like worry and anxiety are of the flesh. It says we are not trusting God. Mind you, we will be tempted every day to go down that road, but must resist worry and anxiety and claim our trust in the Lord…in ALL things.
I can't add any thing to what Tozer wrote about Tom Haire. As I ponder what he wrote, I am convicted and challenged to stop striving so hard, and live resting "near to the heart of God".
Pat