Now, with retirement, I have more time for the luxury of praying in solitude, but before retiring from my job in San Francisco, I spent 8-to-10 hours a day at work, and approximately an hour commute to and an hour commute from work. Attending mid-week church service added an additional hour to and an hour from church to home. Plus there was dinner time and the normal daily chores (occasionally there was the adding of time for special events). I just didn't have the time (nor the strength) to give God what He truly deserved. My situation required me to reprogram my thinking as to places for My Altar.
Expanding prayer surroundings can allow one to experience the beauty of spontaneous prayer. We can pray almost anywhere and be effective. We can pray in our car while commuting to and from work, in our office/workstation, in a crowd, on an elevator, a bus, train or plane. We can pray while feeding or bathing a child, eating lunch, doing dishes, mopping floors, buying groceries, in the shower/tub, and the list goes on. The Lord never turns away a sincere prayer. He accepts our visits no matter where we are, or what we are doing. An Altar can be anywhere our heart cares to travel. Hopefully, I've appropriately expressed my feelings in this poem.
My Altar is not made of wood or of stone,
nor permanently anchored to stand all alone.
Nor was it designed as a ritual where I praises could sing,
but built as a foundation for supplications to bring.
nor permanently anchored to stand all alone.
Nor was it designed as a ritual where I praises could sing,
but built as a foundation for supplications to bring.
My Altar is anywhere my heart cares to travel,
there to present my petitions and life's mysteries unravel.
No appointment is needed for a request to submit,
for I may be a prayer away for a wayward soul to acquit.
My Altar is truly the place dearest to my heart,
for it is where all my heavy burdens depart.
Upward intercessions soar for the Lord to capture,
Yes, I consider My Altar the true gauge of my stature.
there to present my petitions and life's mysteries unravel.
No appointment is needed for a request to submit,
for I may be a prayer away for a wayward soul to acquit.
My Altar is truly the place dearest to my heart,
for it is where all my heavy burdens depart.
Upward intercessions soar for the Lord to capture,
Yes, I consider My Altar the true gauge of my stature.
Your Altar has no limits, and can bring victory to your weary soul. So today why not consider scouting out the land for special places of prayer? You will never be the same, believe me.
7 comments:
Over the years I have always enjoyed going to the church to pray. But time would not always permit that luxury so most of my prayer time is spent while commuting to work sometimes a total of 5+ hours a day. But thanks for the reminder that no matter the circumstance or surroundings we can make an altar and talk to God.
A 5-plus hour commute is hard. When Devil's Slide went down, my commute was usually 2-plus hours to work, and around 3 or more hours home. We only had one way in and one way out of the coastal area, and that was Highway 92. Thank God it only took six months to repair the slide. By the way, Kellee and I were in the last car to go through Devil's Slide before Cal-Trans shut it down due to boulders falling and the road slipping (we even had a couple of boulders hit our car). Looking back, it makes me appreciate even more our Altars of Prayer - because that night on our way home from work we really had a dire need to use them.
Sis. Hopper, I am trying to "catch up" reading your blog today. The boys are recording and I am taking a few minutes to read. I love your thoughts and am glad you share them with all of us in the world of blogging.
This post made me think of the scripture about praying always. Sometimes our days are so busy, but if we can keep our mind stayed on Him - just like having another person in the car with you - then our every thought and word is shared with Him and it becomes communication/prayer. I love having quiet times alone with God, but I also love being in a busy place and whispering something to Him. Sometimes I find those moments to be more intimate than one would imagine.
Thank God for an altar! We don't need an appointment or a referral. He is always there for us.
Thank you for your support to me.
Janiver
Jana, you are such a busy person, and honestly when I said "watching ourselves go in one door and out the other", my thoughts were of you and your schedule. I am sure that you have scouted the land more than once for an Altar.
Janiver, Yes, thank God for an altar. Many churches have removed their physical altars, but the ones in our hearts are there permanently. Isn't it wonderful how God has meshed our spirits (and He did it through blogging). Take care.
"Your Altar has no limits" - love that.
Rochelle, thank you for your kindness. Remember, every word you utter to Him is heard, and stored in His memory bank to answer in His time.
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