March 14, 2023
The Church Chair
One of my joys of pastoring is visiting with homebound senior adults. I always feel like I gain so much by gleaning from their wisdom, experience, and genuine love for God. Our generation just isn’t as close to God as they are. I was visiting an elderly Christian lady recently when she said that she was getting a new recliner type lift chair. Her old one wasn’t very old and was in excellent shape but it wasn’t meeting her needs so she asked me would I haul it away for her and give it to someone who could use it. I said sure.
There was a delay in her getting her new chair and in God’s perfect timing the new chair came the very week before my wife had neck surgery. I decided to bring the lift chair to our house and have it available for her to use as she recovered from the surgery. It has been a great blessing in her healing process.
As I was sitting in the chair one morning, I remember how the lady who owned it had told me of the countless hours that she had spent in this chair praying. She told me that since she couldn’t get out and come to church anymore, she had made this chair her church chair. She used to pray, read the Bible, study devotionals and make calls encouraging others. She told me that she had trouble sleeping and had spent all night in this chair praying for others.
As I sat in this chair I was humbled. A great prayer warrior had turned this chair into a portal to the very throne room of God and now I was sitting in it. When I thought of how this lady had bombarded Heaven with intercession for others and her own needs, I felt like I was sitting on Holy ground. I thought of all the times that God had met this lady in this chair. I imagined that if this chair could talk it would have some awesome testimonies of intercession and rejoicing at answered prayers.
So, needless to say, this chair will be staying with us. Every time that I sit in it and do my Bible reading, devotionals, sermon study and prayer time I feel like I am making a connection with God. It has taken on a certain reverence as a place to meet with God. It has become my “prayer closet”
I hope that you find a special place to take time and meet with God. He created us for fellowship with Him and He desires to meet with us on a regular basis. His desire is that you have a place to set aside the things of the world and enter into the Holy of Holies with Him. Find your special place but don’t limit that to the only place that you meet with Him as He is all around you and is wanting to bless those who seek Him first and with all of our heart.
In love with Jesus – Gary Mimbs