Devotions from Judy’s heart
Do we have time for prayer and solitude in our day or has electronic technology taken over our lives? While on our trip to North Carolina we had very little time on our computers or even on our phones. Instead our time was spent with family and we only checked our electronic devices early in the morning and late evening. That felt good as it is easy to get so caught up in these supposedly time saving devices but they end up keeping us distracted and pre-occupied. It is so sad to see families out for dinner together and no one is talking with one another as they are all on their phones. And perhaps sadder yet to be so preoccupied that we are too busy to talk with the Lord, too busy for prayer! But we all need time for our interior life, to be present to the Lord. When we are distracted by phones, computers, games etc. we begin to feel emaciated in our interior lives. But our time alone with the Lord is the most important part of our day. Times are getting worse in our culture and the Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 5 (The Message), “Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll be on your feet… God’s word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pay hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters.” We need prayer for we cannot stand on our own. But often we get so busy that we feel we don’t have time to just spend talking to the Lord and listening. Now just as in marriage, we don’t always feel ecstatic, sometimes our prayer time seems quite dry; but we are still to set time apart to pray. Even when we feel restless, God still desires to do something in our hearts and imparts what we need for the times. Our part is to show up!
Challenge for today: Take 10 minutes to just sit quietly in His presence with your heart open to Him. 
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy