Robert Boyd Munger, author of the book "My Heart Christ's Home" describes his relationship with Jesus in terms of various rooms in a house. When referring to his time with God he compared it to entering the drawing room. Here is an excerpt:
"We walked next in the drawing room. This room was rather intimate and comfortable. I liked it. It had a fireplace, overstuffed chairs, a bookcase, sofa, and a quiet atmosphere. He also seemed pleased with it. He said, 'This is indeed a delightful room. Let us come here often. It is secluded and quiet and we can have fellowship together.' Well naturally, as a young Christian I was thrilled, I could not think of anything I would rather do than have a few minutes apart with Christ in intimate comradeship. He promised, 'I will be here every morning early. Meet with Me here and we will start the day together.' So morning after morning, I would come downstairs to the drawing room and He would take a book of the Bible...open it and then we would read together. He would tell me of its riches and unfold to me its truths... They were wonderful times together. In fact, we called the drawing room the "withdrawing room". It was a period when we had our quiet time together."
"But little by little, under the pressure of many responsibilities, this time began to be shortened... I began to miss a day now and then... I would miss it two days in a row and often more. I remember one morning when I was in a hurry... As I passed the drawing room, the door was ajar. Looking in I saw a fire in the fireplace and the Lord sitting there... 'Blessed Master, have You been here all these mornings?' 'Yes', He said, 'I told you I would be here every morning to meet with you.' Then I was even more ashamed. He had been faithful in spite of my faithlessness. I asked His forgiveness and He readily forgave me..."
"He said, 'The trouble with you is this: You have been thinking of the quiet time, of the Bible study and prayer time, as a factor in your own spiritual progress, but you have forgotten that this hour means something to me also.'
When I read this I was given a renewed sense of the importance of prayer. Prayer is a privilege. Prayer is a time for me to grow, to make my needs known before God, but most importantly it is fellowship with God. It is a time to draw near to Him in an intimate relationship. He created us for this very reason, to have fellowship with Him. I never thought about our time together being as important to Him as it was to me or even more so. I am continually astounded by His love for me and the desire He has just to meet with me and talk with me, to tell me all about Himself and reveal to me His desires for my life and my future, and to just shower His love on me. John 15:15 says "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." This scripture speaks to the Lord's heart towards us and His desire for intimate friendship and fellowship with us, to make known the mysteries of heaven to us. Have you made room in your heart for Jesus today? In your busy schedule have you made time to stop by the drawing room and sit and talk with the Lord? He is waiting there for us desiring to meet with us. Don't miss out on the opportunity to sit in an overstuffed chair by the cozy fire and share quiet time with Him.
Kim Ratcliffe
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