A sweet sound...

So, I am really trying to be more aware of my prayer life. I don't tend to set aside time for talking to God until I'm half asleep and that's just not right. I should be making time for Him out of my best time, not only my leftover time. Just like charity. We shouldn't only give from our excess, but from our want. I look at prayer that way, too. I don't want God just getting my leftovers...time-wise.

Don't get me wrong. I have a running conversation with Him all day long. It's not that I don't pray...not at all. I figure it's a lot like my relationship with Christopher. We talk everyday. We talk a lot, but our relationship grows anemic if we don't set aside time just to be together. So, I'm working on being more purposeful in my conversations with Jesus, in particular.

This evening, I was alone in the kitchen. It was rare moment of solitude and I often find myself saying or humming some of my favorite hymns or songs in those moments. One of my favorites, to the point that I sang it as a lullaby to all my babies and it can move me to tears, goes like this:

I love you Lord and I lift my voice
To worship You
Oh my soul rejoice
Take joy My King in what you hear
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear

I started thinking about why such a simple verse means so much to me. I think I've figured it out. I am not a good singer. I love to sing, but I suck. Ever since I learned this song in 7th grade, I've felt so much more confident in singing for my kids, at church, in the car...wherever. This carries through to a lot of my life, too. I suck at a lot of things. I get an "A" for effort in a lot of areas though. This song reminds me that He sees my effort. He knows when I'm busting my butt for Him, even when I'm failing miserably. I want it to be a joy for Him that I'm putting in the effort. I believe that it is a joy. This song reminds me how much Jesus loves me. He gave me my voice, for good or for ill, I'm pretty sure he wants me to use it and everything else He gave me, to His glory. Knowing that, even when other people see only the lack, He sees the effort is like a warm embrace from the Father Himself.

And, since most everything works in a cyclical fashion, this brings me back to my determination to make time from the BEST of my day for Him. He's knows me, He loves me, He wants to hear from me in a meaningful way when I'm fully conscious :-p.

ETA: Here's a link to the song. It's got some extra stuff after the first verse that I'm not familiar with, but this is the song that I adore!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn2FfVxO-1o