Prayer Writing Retreat

 It is a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Spring Creek to Eagle's Rest Retreat. It has been 18 months since I last visited there. Long overdue. I have frequented this retreat at least once a year for the past 25 years . I will pack a briefcase full of books, grab my prayer journal, computer and pack some simple clothing to get away. I go away with three things on my agenda. To spend focused time in prayer without distractions, to hear from God, and to write. 

I stay in a rustic two-bedroom cabin. No frills. The furniture is probably nearly 40 years old. The cabin is located right next to a 90-acre private lake surrounded by gentle rolling hills and wooded areas. It is a most inspiring place to go and seek God. It is isolated. No internet service. It is located down a long dirt road and hidden from passing traffic on the highway. That would be enough to drive some people out of their mind. It is the just the kind of place I needed to recharge, reflect, and be renewed. 

One morning I walked out on the back porch overlooking the lake and took a seat to sit with God for a while. I really had no other agenda. Just to enjoy Him. I wish I could adequately describe what took place in that hour. Sometimes I am so frustrated with my inability to express the deep things of God. The only word that come to mind are contented communion. 

I have never felt more contented in my whole life than I did sitting in that old rustic rocking chair on the porch. I felt close to God. I did not ask Him for anything in that moment other than to speak to me. I sat listening with my ears turned to heaven. Much of the time I rested my head on the back of the chair with my eyes closed just basking in His presence. Nothing else mattered in that moment. Just Jehovah and I sitting together. I am sure that sounds mystical and weird to some. Others who commune with God will get my drift. They will know exactly what I am writing about. 

That was not the only God encounter. With God's help, He enabled me to finish my latest book, Prayer: Ministry From The Secret Place. It is the longest and I believe the most powerful of all the other books I have penned. I am excited about eventually getting it into print. 

I also received some fresh words from the Lord for me, my family, and Spring Creek Baptist Church. I only got to stay at Eagle's Rest for three total days. God sure packed a great deal into my life in those days. I returned home energized and excited about ministry. He also inspired me with two additional books to write. I hope to begin work on the first one as early as today. A book based on the ministry of the prophet Elijah. The title of that book will be Elijah's Cry. The second one will be an extensive revision and expansion of the first book I wrote titled, Only Believe. 

There is much work ahead of me. It is a labor of love. Labor for a flock I adore. Labor in praying, preaching, and writing. All of these are labors for which I feel I was born to do. May the Lord help me to redeem the time.