Psalm 113:3 NIV ~ “From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.”
As I thought about yesterday’s devotional, the porch was still on my mind. I remember as a little girl my grandmother would say, you can play on the porch, but don’t go off of it. I would have my dolls and toys spread from one end of the porch unto the other end. I use to get so much joy by being on the porch. I am a porch-sitter, I love to sit, watch and wait on God!
I did a little quick study on porches, they were established during the cave times, if a cave had a rock overhang, they could sit and watch out for danger. In America they came about in the 19th century, Architects became infatuated with them, building them on houses for people to gather on as a way to save on air conditioning. The word porch comes from the Latin, “porticus”, which means stoop, to sit under an overhang and to watch. Porch sitters are the strength of their community. Think about your grandparents/parents, did they love to sit on the porch and watch and speak to people as they passed by? Do you like to sit on the porch and talk with others, talk with God or just be silent and embrace the Presence of God!
Now I know why people love to sit on the porch. Now as I grew up, I saw the porch in a whole different light. It became my quiet place with God, my place of peace, my place for me and Him to be in fellowship with one another. I love gazing at all of His beautiful splendor, the sky, the grass, the trees, the birds, the stars and the moon! It brings my heart joy! What about you, did you play or sit on the porch as a little child? What was your favorite experience? From sun-up to sun-down, it’s nothing like sitting still before your Father on the porch and hearing what He has to say to you!
Today, I want you to take a seat on your porch, be it day or night, and have a little talk with Jesus, tell Him all about it! While you are sitting on the porch, I want you to be present with God, for where God is present, His Presence is there. I want you to become more aware of your time with God. God is going to be present with you, when you are present with Him. Who is present with you in every ordinary moment of your life, and who turns those ordinary moments extraordinary moments, God and only God can do it!
Now as you sit on your porch invite someone to join you and then point out to them the awareness of God’s Presence in this place! God is not waiting on people to come to church to meet Him, so why should you, have a gathering on your porch and invite someone to get to know Jesus, Romans 10:9-10! When was the last time you gathered outside on a porch?
Think of your porch as Solomon’s porch, it was the place where Christians met to experience the outpouring of the spirit of God. Has anyone ever experienced God at your house? On your porch? If not, today is a perfect time to start spending time on your porch, you will be amazed at what you see, hear and experience, if you just press into the Presence of God in that present moment, you will see a move of God! These moments become life changing, changing you from the inside out!
When was the last time you slowed down long enough to see God’s hand move in your life? Is there a physical place that draws you to lean into His Presence, to seek Him? I want you to know that anytime between His sunrise brilliance to His sunset beauty would be good time to stop and spend some time with Him. There is something so beautiful and peaceful about sharing first and last moments of your day with God. It’s soothing to your heart. Communing with the Holy Spirit and letting creation create a melody in your ears that moves to your heart and becomes a song of praise on your lips!
Get up a little bit early in the morning, and prepare yourself to sit on the porch, start your dialogue with God, seeking His face, and ask Him what His plans are for you today. And during this dialogue, set the atmosphere with the kind of worship that will infiltrate your porch, your neighborhood and you! Next, close your eyes and then open them again, and as your eyes open up, know that they are opening up to God’s Glory that is surrounding each one of your moments, this should fill your heart with so much love and gratitude for God for giving you one more day! As you look at that majestic masterpiece of the sunrise or sunset, worship your Father through connection and conversation, listening to the morning birds and the evening winds as they sing praise songs unto their Master from the atmosphere that has been set by you in prayer!
There is something so sacred about these encounters that you have with God, they give you peace, unspeakable peace (Isaiah 26:3) and joy when you allow yourself the freedom to enjoy Him and to be totally committed to the time with Him. You see time is your most precious commodity and it’s something that you can’t get back, there are no do overs! Make the most out of the moments that matter the most, spending quality time with your Father, family and friends are vital to your livelihood!
It’s on the porch that you can have sweet commune with your Father. The word commune means to share one’s intimate thoughts and feelings with someone. Who better to share your thoughts and feelings with than God! The porch is your place of exchange, you share your Father shares, and oh what a time, what a time you are going to have in fellowship with your Heavenly Father! It’s in this time that you spend alone with Him on the porch, that allows you to spend time with others on the porch!
Let’s Pray:
Father Thank You! Thank You for meeting me on the porch! Father, I come to You today and ask as humbly as I know how that You would send Your ministering angels to minister to everyone that is sitting on the porch today. Father, I ask You to cover me and everyone that I am connected to, cover our homes, family, friends, finances, jobs and with Your blood. Father, I am laying everything down at Your Altar, it’s to much for me to carry and it’s cluttering up my porch, please remove it. Father thank You for refreshing, reviving and restoration me as I encountered You in this sacred place. Father minster to me from sunrise to sunset, for I am looking at the splendor of Your beauty as I sit still on the porch. Father, I live my time with You, it’s for my good and Your Glory! It’s because of Your Might, Power and Glory that I have a story to tell others about Your Goodness, Grace and Mercy. In the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen!
Blessings…
Minister Jean
