When I was a freshman in college, I didn’t know many people on campus. And my roommate and suitemates were not the kind of people who just let a fat introvert be himself. I was lonely and miserable. My devotional times became extremely important to me. And then Jesus--this is for real, not just a metaphor or a cliché--became my best friend. I started talking to God on my way to class. Out loud. And then He would sit with me at lunch, and I would talk to Him during lunchtime. Out loud. Sometimes people would look at me funny. I was a fat introvert, so I always thought people were looking at me funny.
It sounds like I was a weirdo, I know, but I have missed the times I had with God back then. I would pray between classes and during classes, and more than once ducked into an empty classroom and prayed and was filled with the Holy Spirit. And then after five or ten minutes, I would come out of the empty classroom, tears running down my face, and rush to my next class.
Jesus is more real than you realize. He is not my imaginary friend. He is not just an idea. He is not just a historical person. He is more alive than you or I am, and He can make your life powerful. He wants to be your best friend. Take some time from something you’re doing, and spend that time with Him.
This week I started a kind of fast: I am fasting from my iPod. Usually, any time I am alone I am listening to my iPod. This is mostly in the car, but I spend a couple hours a day in my car, so it’s a lot of time. This week I have turned off my iPod and am spending any time that I would usually spend with the buds in my ears praying. I imagine that He is in the passenger seat. Because I’m driving, this kind of prayer is not focused enough to be called my daily devotional prayer, but it does keep me focused on Him throughout the day. I have been enjoying it so much, I am definitely extending it for six weeks, and may never listen to another podcast again. If I were just pulling out the plugs to listen to myself think, I would not be enjoying it. As I have mentioned in this blog before, my inner dialogue is not much fun, and leans toward depressing thoughts. If I spent that time just talking to myself, it would not take me six hours to pop the ear buds back in. Spending all that time talking with God, though, is energizing, and I know that the more time I spend with Him, the more available I am to be used in powerful ways for His kingdom, and I am really looking forward to that. Someday, I might even start a podcast about it. And I hope you don't listen.
