I revisited an altar this morning. When Bro. Larry Clements pastored Pauline, Brian Hill and I were the only guys on staff with him. “The Boss”, as we affectionately called him, believed that we should begin each work day with prayer. He made it a rule that unless we had some other pressing commitment we would meet each day at 6am in the altar at Pauline.

Brian hated that rule. He’d come dragging in right at six in his pajama pants, the wrinkled t-shirt he’d slept in and a pair of sandals or no shoes at all. He’d flop down, indian style, on the floor with a cup of coffee that he was nurseing and listen quietly as we would begin to make a list of the things we needed to pray about. Unless Brian was praying, I wasn’t sure whether he was listening or napping. But then, most of the time if I wasn’t praying I was slipping off to dream land myself. There were lots of times when I had to be nudged when it was my turn to pray. Brian and always put “the boss” on one end of the line so that we would be able to keep eachother awake.

I went to the altar this morning for the first time in a long time. I went because the Lord impressed on my heart to go. I went because I need to reestablish so old guidelines in my life. I went out of a sense of deep need and a realization that God has called me to a job that, as John Piper says, “is impossible for me to accomplish”. And I discovered something; that was a good rule.

My prayer life is inconsistent and elementary at best. Most of the time it’s neglected because I would rather do something than sit there. I’d rather help someone or read or play or whatever. But, this morning I felt the need to go to the altar and lay down prostrate at the steps and talk to the Father. And it was sweet.

I began to talk to him and I began to evaluate all that I was asking. I realized that I was doing “instructional” prayer more than anything else. Do you guys do that? “Father, please give Dave what he needs. Lord, please help sister Susan to get well. God, please give us strength to do our work today.” As if He doesn’t know more about all those situations than I do or that he needs me to tell Him so that he can fill out the order form and ship all that right out to us.

So, here’s what I began to pray. “Father, I accept everything from your hand. Lord, I need your guidance and your strength. All these things are under your control. Please, help me to recieve everything from you as a good and perfect gift.” I don’t know any other way to say it. He loves me. He is in control of all that is around me. He will provide for me. I must be willing to accept that. That is my greatest struggle.

I wrestled with myself in prayer and enjoyed every minute of it. It didn’t last long and then I rose and went about my daily joys. How about you. Have you talked to the Father today. Will you establish a time that you can spend just visiting with Him, strugglling, gropping to ask and recieve? Has it been a long time since you’ve been to the altar? Maybe it’s time you went? Maybe it’s past time?

Stop reading, bow your head, talk to the Father. He’s been missing you and I promise you, you’ve been missing Him. Enjoy the visit.