Near (A Five Minute Friday Link-up)

photo by g-win

“Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To thy precious, bleeding side.”

As the daughter of a Southern Baptist music minister, the old hymns hold a special place in my heart. I love this one by Frances J. Crosby.  Especially this stanza:

“Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!”

How I NEED my daily time with the Lord.  In Psalm 119 the author admits, “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words.” v. 14  Now truth be told, I try not to do ANYTHING before the sun comes up.  I enjoy staying in my warm and comfy bed for as long as possible each day, and breakfast with coffee must happen before I can put my mind on anything important.  But once I am up and at it, I start looking forward to bible study and prayer.  “O Lord, in the morning [ish] you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.”  Psalm 5:3  Now as an avid indoorsman, you will not find me presenting a slaughtered animal to God as David did.  Praise be to Jesus, He does not require it.  But in the fast-paced society we live in, our time is a sacrifice.  It is often difficult to carve out the margin to read, study, meditate and pray.  But it’s worth it.  How do I know?  This promise from James 4:8:  “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

Thank you, Lord, for your constant presence with me.

I am joining Kate Motaung and other members of the Five Minute Friday community  for our weekly writing adventure. To learn about Five Minute Friday, click here. This week’s prompt is, “Near.”