It ended too soon and my heart was not ready to let go so I just looked up at the guys and held up one finger and then pointed to my heart. Words were not necessary. They seemed to know what I was asking. My heart needed just one more song. So without missing a beat, they all looked at one another to acknowledge where they were going and played one more. They must have jammed for ten minutes – maybe more. I don’t know if they knew what it meant to my heart, but God did. It was His gift to me. And it was their gift to me as well.
When all the gear was turned off and packed up, we headed to the parking lot only to realize that everyone had gone home and left them behind. We laughed and they asked if I could take them home. Of course. It was a small token of thanks for what they had just given me. We piled into my car – me, four musicians, and a guitar. I explained the English words “traveling troubadour” to my friends and the rest of the ride turned into a mini-concert. Debuts of the latest songs written by one of the singer/songwriters in my presence. By the time we arrived at their apartment complex, my heart was full. I am sure that each of these young men had other places to go and people to be with. It made me think about how blessed I was that they would drop everything to give me their time and their talents.
My word for 2016 is "intimacy" and God has been showing me what this looks like in so many various ways. Later that night, as I was reflecting on my “concert” in the car and at the church, God said to me … “this is all I ask. Every once in a while, could you look up from what you are doing and see me sitting here longing for more of your presence?”
You see, God created us for this. He created us to give Him praise. He created us to sit with Him. He didn’t necessarily need us to do this – all of creation will do it if we don’t. But it is that sweet companionship that brings Him joy. He sings over us. He dances over us. And I don’t want to miss the moments when He may look me in the eye and call my heart to give Him just fifteen more minutes of worship.