I’m asking God for one thing,
only one thing:
To live with him in his house my whole life long.
I’ll contemplate his beauty;
I’ll study at his feet.
Psalm 27:4 (The Message)
His feet.
Mary sat at Jesus’ feet.
After her brother Lazarus died, she “came to where Jesus was waiting and fell at his feet.”
(John 11: 32)
Mary sat at Jesus’ feet while Martha fussed getting things ready. Jesus said Mary chose the better part.
(Luke 10)
Mary anointed Jesus’ feet in preparation for the passover, His Passover.
(John 12)
These verses called to me on my silent retreat this year. The invitation was clear to me: I was to sit at Jesus’ feet. I couldn’t deny it, so I literally sat on the floor off and on during that weekend.
Now I am not as young as I used to be. I sat on pillows, leaned on cushions, and rested against the side of the bed. I dragged a chair over to place in front on me, imagining Jesus sitting here.
I sat before our King and Savior.
Literally.
My heartfelt, tear-stained prayer asked for only one thing:
“To live with Him in His house my entire life; to contemplate His majesty and to sit at His feet.”
By this old age I know myself pretty well. Living within my skin and taking all sorts of personality tests, I know how I am wired and what motivates me:
To accomplish.
To do.
To achieve.
To mark things off my to-do list.
Yet God invites me to sit.
I shake my head at the irony. God knows what I most deeply need. I think I am sitting in front of Him for Him, but God has placed me there for my transformation.
I don’t want it to be about me. I want my worship to be about Him. Yet as He cleanses my heart and clears my mind, I can better reflect Him.
Amazing, isn’t it?
Amazing isn’t He?
Amazing God.
My only response to this holy approach?
I am asking for one thing, only one thing:
To live within God forever and
To sit at His feet in love and contemplation.
Sitting is my only option.
yes we WILL get that phone call in. I too have been spinning. Going to Write to Publish this year and am way behind in getting ready to take a proposal. So this blog post about resting is so ironic! So glad we keep in touch.
So beautifully said. I love this line: “I don’t want it to be about me. I want my worship to be about Him.” No matter how much we try to give to Him, it always ends up being for us, doesn’t it?
Thank you for sharing your story. Finding what we need and focusing our energies there is such a wonderful thing, especially when we invite Him to direct it. I needed this reminder today.
Happy Sharefest. I hope you have a lovely weekend.
{Melinda} Jeanie, I love this. Oh my, I am due for a rest and to just sit at Jesus’ feet. I’m in a very busy season of ministry and He keeps reminding me, “Take a break from doing and just BE with me.”
And we WILL get that phone call in … life has been nutty on all fronts, but things are calming … a bit. 🙂
Hi Dolly, That experience at the retreat was so powerful for me. I spent hours on that floor. I didn’t go on a silent retreat until my kids were older so your season will come. enjoy the joy filled noise of your family now and God will honor your desire for retreat when the time is right and your heart is ripe. Grateful for you too
Thank you Laura. I pray your silent retreat is full of surprises and blessings.
Jean,
love the imagery you used in the verses, and how you chose to sit at His feet at your retreat even though it goes against your natural bent, and how you experienced Him…I can relate, and I wish I could go on a silent retreat…grateful for your words and your friendship 🙂
Amazing, indeed. It sounds wonderful, Jean. You have me anticipating my own little silent retreat this summer. I am so looking forward to the sitting.
Thanks Jennifer. It is a struggle and I want to get up and “do” not just be. I am learning now to hold this experience as a gift and one I don’t want to leave now. You would think I would have known that sooner but when you are hard wired the opposite I guess it takes time to sink in…Blessings on your week!
I really do like reading the Message. It doesn’t always appeal to me but sometimes it really opens up a new meaning for me. At the workshop I attended last week, even the life long ‘experts” on contemplative prayer said often they don’t feel, see, hear anything but only get glimpses of Him. I am beginning to think your centering prayer and my sitting at His feet are great places to be and much better without any ego driven expectations.
Thank you for your kind comment Beth. I used to think this sitting at His feet was only temporary, but now am embracing this as a permanent gift. So very grateful for this amazing God
Jean, I admire how you’re comfortable with who you are — an achiever, and a do-er… But how you’re also obedient to the call to sit at Jesus’ feet. Inspiring!
I’ve loved that verse for a long time, but I don’t think I’d ever read it in The Message. I love that beautiful imagery it lays out of sitting at his feet. Then your Biblical examples. Then your own example.
You’ve inspiring me to continue on with Centering Prayer, a time when I try to focus solely on being in his presence and letting all else go. Sometimes I question if it’s any good, but yes, you’re telling me here, yes. Thanks, Jean!
There is no better place to be than at the feet of Jesus. Thank you for your words today. Many blessings.
Beth
oh Mia, I do so pray your health would be better. But once again you witness to me but seeing the bright side your illness brings: to sit at the feet of Jesus. I am so blessed to know you!
Thanks Jen, I have been traveling all week so it is a blessing to be home and back to a routine. Are you in training for another event? I am walking, note: walking, in my first 5K the end of May. See you do inspire me!
Thanks for keeping an eye on me while I traveled home. Vacations can be so good but also put one so off list, that is off to-do list where I seem to find my identity too much.
I think God meets us wherever we are and knows the intention of our heart that we do so want it to be about Him but he loves and understands our humanness. Too bad we can’t love and accept that about ourselves.
I laughed when I read you thought you were over thinking this cause I do the same thing. My spiritual director asked me how I visualized my head and heart and after I thought about it, I described an hour glass, constricted in the middle. mmmm, prayed about that one for sure. Then God showed me an image of a tree: the heart being the roots, growing deep and silently, the head growing, reaching high in praise and both nourishing the other. I have tried to focus more on that image lately and think my head is “behaving” more.
I am writing too much but when we were in New Mexico we listened to writer Richard Rohr for two days. He is big on it is not either/or but and/both. you may enjoy his writings. some of them take me a long time to fully absorb but quite a teacher.
Certainly would be fun to meet in person again and have a good talk.
Did you go to the High Calling retreat last year? I saw that on Deidra’s facebook page the other day…
blessings on your week, Nancy!
I am about to go for a run and you have given me such sweet words to ponder. Love you.
I watched your travels home via Facebook yesterday and am happy to find your words here this morning! I’m wrestling here in my own heart and mind with these ideas about wanting my worship to be about Him, when so often I come to him only out of my own sense of wanting and need. At the same time, as you said, he loves me deeply, knows what I need, and is bringing about the work of my transformation. Maybe I’m over-thinking it, because I get myself wrapped up in knots. It really isn’t either/or is it? In worshiping him I am being transformed. How I would love to sit with you in these things. Welcome home, Jean.
Dear Jean
My illness allows me lots me time just to sit at Jesus’ feet. There is no other place in this world where I would rather be!
Blessings
Mia