I want to Stand for A Quarter of a Day

I wasn't going to blog today.

I need to de-clutter the hard drive, give tags to random pictures, and delete unworthy pictures.

Additionally, I desire to sew a sling, run an errand to Walmart (yes, I do occasionally shop there), and accomplish the bit of school that Mr. Smackdown so sweetly asked for today.

But as I sat down today to read to my two early risers for their morning Quiet Time, I was so struck by scripture that I felt compelled to share.

Currently, I am reading through Nehemiah with the boys. As I was reading chapter 9 to them on this dreary day (it was grey at the time) . . . feeling somewhat lifeless and insignificant, over-touched by little hands and under-loved by the world, I was struck with the awesomeness of what the Israelites accomplished or rather purposed to do (I have only included what hit my foggy brain the hardest):

On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads. Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers. They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God.

"Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

You have kept your promise because you are righteous.

Now therefore, O our God, the great, mighty and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship that has come upon us, upon our kings and leaders, upon our priests and prophets, upon our fathers and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. In all that has happened to us, you have been just; you have acted faithfully, while we did wrong. Our kings, our leaders, our priests and our fathers did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the warnings you gave them. Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you or turn from their evil ways.

As I return from too long of a vacation of spending quality time with the Lord, I am a little jealous of the time the Israelites allotted to standing, worshiping, and confessing to the God who loved them through thick and thin. . . ugly and good.

What would it be like to go off to a quiet place, venti Mocha in hand, and sit or stand in front of a beautiful and quiet lake, and truly spend time in fellowship with the Lord?

I love my crazy life, but I miss the ability to just run away.

I seriously wouldn't trade a moment or a person in my Granola Family, but to be able to set aside this kind of sacred time . . . priceless . . . just to be with my Savior.

So if you can, go away today . . . tomorrow . . . next week. Let me know what it is like to have at least 8 hours of uninterrupted time standing with Jesus.