My dad gave us an old four-door Plymouth Fury. Ours was very similar to this picture, except I remember that the grill in the front was all in one section and not divided. We hit a small deer and knocked out the grill and did not replace it which, the kids agreed, gave the car the appearance of a shark. We called it the Great White Shark. It wasn’t the most appealing car, but it was faithful and I have some memories of it, one of which I will tell you here.
Years ago I was starting a church and trying to make ends meet financially I took part-time work in a factory. It was loud and there were many around me who did not know and love God. The environment was coarse to say the least. On my fifteen-minute break I would dash to my car and there in the quietness of my old white Plymouth, in the parking lot of a factory, I would open my Bible and meet with the Lord. To this day I cherish sweet memories of that.
Remember the old hymn, Draw Me Nearer? “O 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.”
Saturday I drove home from a meeting in Grand Rapids alone. It was a beautiful, sunny, winter day in Michigan and I drove along the familiar route alone with the Lord quiet in my Jeep, just allowing the silence and solitude and rest my soul. It was a good trip. I didn’t listen to music or messages like I often do, I just enjoyed the simple comfort of silence.
The faster the world turns for us the more important it is to find a way regularly to cultivate the inner life and nurture our spirits. Business and distraction can leave us without reflection or refreshment. This can sap the joy out of life and leave us vulnerable to the enemy of our souls.
According to Romans 8:6, to be spiritually minded is LIFE and PEACE, but to be carnally minded is death. One way to cultivate your spirit is to be sure you include three things in every day as early as possible. These three things were in Jesus life, even though he was very busy and very, very productive. Jesus did not neglect solitude, silence, and simplicity. Get alone. Be quiet. Listen to God. Keep things very simple. Know the one thing you are living for and how everything you do contributes to that ONE THING.
I have to go. The sun is coming up. I want to go alone and spend some time with my Bible open and my heart quiet alone before the Lord. I like to start every day on my face before Him and I like his word to be the last word on my heart before I drift into sleep at night. Yesterday my heart was touched with this:
Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy. Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily. Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me. Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works. All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone. Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell. (Psa 86:1-13 KJV)
Hope you can make some time for solitude, silence and simplicity in your day today.
