Remember from Where You Have Fallen
I’ve been doing a lot of travelling recently, and it’s been busy at the office; quiet times with the Lord in the mornings have been hurried, and short. It’s having a negative effect, as my spirit has been running dry.
Last night I asked God what I needed to do, and the words “remember from where you have fallen” formed in my mind.
This verse is found in Revelations 2, where Jesus is addressing the church in Ephesus:
But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place -unless you repent.
Revelations 2:4-5
This morning I made a minor change in my morning routine. Normally I would work out first and then proceed to have time with the Lord. This morning I spent time with Him first and then worked out. It made a difference in several different ways. I began not by reading Scripture, but with prayer, praise, and waiting on Him in silence. It had been a little while since I’d waited on Him in silence, and that helped settle my emotions. I was more relaxed in my time with God, and felt like I connected with Him.
Another unexpected benefit from the morning was that for some reason my workout didn’t take as long. Putting God first somehow shortened the exercise time; maybe it was because I was more alert and ready to go.
Our mad, go-go culture and the pressures of life have a way of choking out our relationship with God. Smartphones, and the obsession to always be connected by texting, emailing, and calling mess up our priorities even more. I don’t have much of a problem with my smartphone; I don’t check email with it and I often see it as a leash. My problem is a mind that races with all the stuff that needs to be accomplished during the day, which can snuff out my prayer life, it I let it.
I find that waiting on God in silence is as powerful as prayer or reading the Bible. Sometimes we talk too much and need to quiet the raging turmoil within so our spiritual antenna can receive His signals. Silence also has a way of calming the emotions so we’re less prone to fear, worry, or anxiety.
I try to go to a retreat alone in the mountains once every four to six months, and it always invigorates my relationship with the Lord. I don’t want to go home, not because I don’t want to be with my family, but because I’ve tasted Heaven as I’ve experienced His presence. Experiencing His presence can still take place during the week, if we will slow down and remember that our relationship with Him is the most important thing in life.