Let me clarify 2 points in that opening statement:
1. To call her my sister-in-law isn't really accurate anymore; it's less like sister-in-law and more like adopted sister and very close friend, mother to dear Henderson and auntie to Jasper and Brody.
2. Her blog is wonderful. I love it. I stalk it. and I crave it.
Anyway, she's writing a truly wonderful blog and asked me if I could send her an email about my daily devo time, because her next blog is about how women in different stages of life do their devo's. I typed her out an email about my devo's, sent it off, and then realized, with MB's encouragement, that I should totally put that email on here, so that I can always remember what my daily devo's looked like at this stage of life, "this stage" meaning having a husband as a full-time grad student with 2 part-time jobs, a very unpredictable daily schedule due to his constantly changing school/work schedule, and 2 precious little boys who are home with me all day.
So... here's the real, unedited version of my email to MB:
Hi dearest MB! Here's my devo set-up:
Because of Andrew's unique school schedule, he normally doesn't get home until very late at night and I always wait up for him. So we end up typically being up very late at night and then sleeping in until the children wake up in the morning. I'm the type of person who needs the Bible soon after waking, so it has been hard for me not start the day right off with my devo's, like I used to. But... the Lord has helped me figure out a new routine which is wonderful! Shortly after the boys wake up, Brody goes down for his morning nap and that's when I turn on Jasper's 2 shows for the day.
While Jasper watches his first show on the computer, I curl up in my favorite chair with my coffee and pray, "open my eyes that I might behold wondrous truths from thy law." and then read through my next chapter of Isaiah. I read through it a few times, then I pull out my expositional commentary that I use to supplement my bible reading and read what that author says about the chapter I read. I write notes in the margin of my bible and read through the chapter a few more times. Pastor Kent said that when we do daily devo's, don't stop reading until you have a nugget of truth to hold onto for that day. So I read and re-read and re-re-read until I have a nugget of truth to apply to my day.
At this point, Jasper normally races into the living room announcing that his show is over and asking if I can start his 2nd show.
After I start his 2nd show, I got back to my chair, curl up, and pray. I love starting my prayer time by praying attributes of God that I read about in my Isaiah chapter. Then I love just being quiet before God. Then I do confession, begging the Lord to make my heart sensitive to my sin. Then thanksgiving. Lots and lots of thanksgiving. Then supplication- mainly begging the Lord to keep me from sin, to help me in my pursuit of holiness and humility. Asking that He give me a high view of God and a low view of self. Then I pray these things for Andrew. Then I beg the Lord to not return until my little boys are saved and that they be boys, young men, and old men who love the Lord and love His law.
Jasper's 2nd show is normally finished by now, and I normally want to keep on praying. so recently, I've started letting him watch a 3rd show so I can keep praying. so then I pray some more.
That's about it. If I know that we have morning plans and Brody will have to skip his morning nap (meaning that I can't do devo's at that time), I bite the bullet and get up early. Today, I selfishly slept in, knowing that we were going to be gone all day. And it was awful. I missed my time with the Lord a lot and I was a total brat to andrew all morning until the Lord sweetly convicted me.
Oh yes! i'm almost done with Isaiah, which makes me so sad b/c I've enjoyed it immensely. But I always ask Andrew to pick my next book of the Bible to do my devo's in, because I think it's so, so important for wives to be disciples of their husbands.So he's choosing my next book of the Bible along with the commentary (I think this commentary will be by Dale Ralph Davis).
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