When I was a child, I remember being at my grandmother’s house on her front porch, sitting in a child-size rocking chair they had purchased for me. I loved that blue rocking chair, I felt so special to have my very own chair. Now, they may have bought me that chair so I would sit still. I have always had loads of energy, so it very well may have been a ploy. They are in heaven now, so we are unable to ask them for clarity, but let’s just agree that it made me sit and spend time with them. One of my favorite things to do was sit in my chair and to sing. My Mom tells me to this day, that the neighbors would listen from their porches.
There are many different kind of chairs, the principal’s office chair which I frequently had the opportunity to sit in, a kitchen chair, a recliner, wheelchair, among many others.
Because today’s world is challenging to say the least. So much is coming at us, from so many different angles, all the time. Navigating our life responsibilities and honoring GOD can be overwhelming. It’s important for us to sit in time-out with GOD.
Let’s say, supposedly, that your week holds some of the following responsibilities: work meetings, zoom meetings, board meetings, budget planning, replying to emails, taking the kids to school, volunteering, caring for aging parents, kids’ baseball practice, family dinners or time with your spouse. Of course, there are hundreds of other little things we encounter and manage every day, too many to list here.
Do you get the sense that there is never enough time? Life can start to feel like one large checklist and we’re just checking off tasks, hoping and praying nothing goes wrong because we ran out the door without sitting in our chair, putting first things first.
So, let me tell you about my chair: I felt led to purchase a prayer chair. I was so excited to have my very own personal prayer chair, it reminded me when I was a small child. This would surely be a constant reminder of putting first things first. After all, we all make time for what we value, right? Spending time in our chair helps us draw closer to God. Our chair time . . . should be intentional and free from distractions, where we can sit uninterrupted and meet with God, and at a time that works best for you.
Now I must admit, when my schedule gets crazy and I miss my time with God first thing in the morning, I feel God tugging at my heart and he gently reprimands me. That is when my prayer chair becomes my time-out chair. Psalms 46:10 says, Be still and know that I am God.
All our spiritual journeys are unique, God guides each of us. We will certainly get off track, that’s normal, but when we do, we simply get back in our time-out chair and ask God to direct our paths. When we are on the right path we feel peace. Use the feeling of love and peace as the central signpost that we have spent ample chair time and are on the right path.
Where is your favorite place to spend chair time with God? Do you have a designated prayer chair? A time-out chair?
Ephesians 2:4-6 (NIV) says; But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.