Delighting in God…While Taking a Shower

For many years now, I’ve limited my showers each day to somewhere between one and three minutes.  During the middle of winter, the time probably hovers at around 2:56; during the hot summer, especially after a workout, they last probably no more than about 45 seconds.

Do I use a timer?

Of course not.

My anal retentive days were crucified with Christ a long time ago, and it's now no longer I who lives, but Christ Who lives in me, and the life I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.  (Now…while that may not be EXACTLY the way Paul wrote it, I believe it to be consistent with the spirit in which he wrote it.)

Anyway…

I do this short-shower-thing for a variety of reasons; the top five are as follows:

1. To obey God (In my heart, I feel that He’s asked me to do it.);
2. To remember my friends in Kenya and Haiti, who do not have the resources to take a shower every morning;
3. To conserve water;
4. To save money (my water bill averages between $2 and $3 per month); and
5. To save time.

Once a week, though, I do allow myself the freedom to take a much longer shower (sometimes for as long as fifteen minutes).  I don’t have a particular day, like, say, Tuesdays, where I let myself indulge in such a way.  I simply listen to my internal systems and do it on whatever day I want or feel like it.  Sometimes, I might go several weeks where I don’t indulge, and that’s okay.  Even though I have “permission,” the cool thing about freedom is that just because I can doesn’t mean I have to.  Also, if I’m not feeling well and feel that I really need a nice hot shower to help me feel better, well, at that point, I step away from my above practices and fast moderation for a day or two.  Freedom is a wonderful thing.

Yeah, so even though I do take quick showers, I absolutely LOVE them.  Love, love, love them!  I love the feel of the hot water, the smell of my soap, etc.  I love, too, the feeling I have afterward.

For the longest time, I’ve spent my time in the shower talking with God.  While I still do that, I’ve added a little more structure to it recently.

Provided below is the structure.  Either tomorrow or the next day, I will, Lord-willing, write a little more about the structure and what each prayer means to me.  For right now, though, I just want to introduce you to the structure.  It's really no more than a series of progressive prayers that, I believe, lead one toward greater and greater delight in God.  As I pray these, I feel myself begging God to give me what He's been dying to give me anyway:  complete satisfaction in Him.

Isn't it cool how, with God, things just seem to work like that?

And so, without further delay, here’s the structure….

(BTW…I call it, my “Delighting in God Shower Meditation.”)

Delighting in God

Turn my heart toward Your Statutes and not toward selfish gain.—Psalm 119:36

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your Law.—Psalm 119:18

Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.—Psalm 90:14

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret ambitions of your heart.—Psalm 37:4

Have a nice evening, everyone.  For me, Missional House of Prayer (MHOP) starts in about 55 minutes, and I can’t wait to talk with God about all my many friends...

...overseas AND right here in central NC and VA!

Peace…

Daver