Have You Ever Been Stood Up? -- Third in a Series on Prayer

My friend Elizabeth (not her real name) has been divorced for quite some time. In the days following their breakup, her ex-husband faithfully kept his commitment to the regular visitation schedule the court set up. Every other weekend, for two weeks in the summer, and on alternating holidays, he would collect his young son, invest in their relationship, and share responsibility for his care.

As time passed, however, his visits became more sporadic. He’d call at the last minute and say something had come up, or that he’d been called in to work. Sometimes he didn’t have an excuse. He’d just say he wasn’t coming to pick up his son that weekend.

As John grew older, he lived for those weekends with his dad. One day, Elizabeth told me, her ex called John to set a time to pick him up the next day. He told him he'd gotten tickets to a baseball game, and that they would eat at John’s favorite pizza place after the game. John was thrilled.

When Elizabeth went to John’s room the next morning to awaken him, she found him already dressed in his NY Mets t-shirt and ball cap. His glove and ball sat beside him on the bed as he watched out the window for his dad to arrive.

“Oh, honey,” she exclaimed in surprise, “your daddy’s not coming for an hour or two.”

“I know, Mom,” he responded, “but I just want to be ready.”

You already know the ending to this sad story. John’s dad never arrived. He called that night around bedtime to say that something had come up, and they’d do it another time.

John cried himself to sleep.

Sadly, it’s a scenario that plays itself out in homes across the country every day. And not just homes that have been broken by divorce. Sometimes it plays itself out in my home.

Every day I have the opportunity to spend time with the most precious person in my life—God. And every day he waits for me. He watches for me. He eagerly anticipates my arrival. He longs to talk with me, listen to me, and share my life. He desires to guide and encourage me. Best of all, he just wants us to spend time together.

And some days I stand him up.

I leave him waiting while I pass by, intent on “more important” things. Sometimes the neglect is deliberate. “I just don’t have time today,” and sometimes the slight is unintentional. I mismanage my time, give in to the tyranny of the urgent, or oversleep.

The result is the same--God is sad, and I am the loser.

How about you? 

If you struggle with keeping a regular appointment with God, will you join me today in making our daily time with him a priority? 

"I Miss My Time with You," below,  is an eloquent and beautiful Amen to this post.

If you enjoyed this devotion, may I tell you about my new book, Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women?

 Today's women want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.

You need a resource that answers the questions you’re afraid to ask out loud. Questions like:

• Is my situation hopeless?
• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray? 
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me? 
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit? 

Each devotion begins with a Facetime question and ends with a biblical answer wrapped in a modern day parable. Like a spiritual power bar, Hungry for God … Starving for Time is packed with enough scriptural nutrition to get you through the day. Wherever you are—in break rooms, carpool lines, or wherever you can snatch five minutes of quiet reflection—Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women is for you. 

 

If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe? I'll send you twice-weekly 5-minute devotions to help nourish your soul. 
Because women need to connect with God in the craziness of life. 

Enter your email address and VALIDATE the Feedburner email sent to your inbox.



Delivered by FeedBurner

Hungry for God is on Facebook! Will you take a moment and LIKE my page? CLICK HERE to help HFG share 5-minute devotions.