A heavenly lullaby

The purpose of these blogs has been to try to give depth and consistency to my personal exploration of faith in Jesus, and to flesh out some of my thoughts. The battle for a consistent and steady walk with Jesus is one that has raged in my life since I gave my life to Him when I was 12. It's a battle that all Christians face - trying to move away from the up and down rollarcoaster to a regular devotion to Jesus from one day to the next, maintaining discipline, passion and perspective. I might sing the words "Jesus be the centre", but how do I actually make him the centre in reality.

I was in Aberdeen visiting friends at uni and we had been out all day, and were planning to head out to the town in the evening. Being a lazy student and not used to all the activity, naturally I required a lie down before heading out. As I lay there a number of things came into my head: being a bloke, girls and football topped the list. But a verse came into my head that my minister is fond of:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Phillipians 4:8)

 Think about such things. It dawned on me that in those 15 minutes of lazy-time, I could think about the girl I liked, or daydream about being with her; or I could daydream about playing in the Irish League (I aim high...). Or in those 15 minutes, I could literally think about God. I could literally, think about Jesus. I could literally think about His sinless sacrifice, for me the sinful.

I know of a few people who really struggle to sleep at night, and I wonder what they think about. Alot of us avoid thinking, constantly on Facebook or Twitter, never being alone with our thoughts. But when we do, what is it we let our mind wander to?
Too often prayer is boxed into a "down on your knees" structured, and time-limited act. Yet surely prayer is allowing God the space to move in our hearts and minds. Part of prayer is allowing the Holy Spirit to move. I read in Psalm 4 today these verses:

In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord. Many are asking "who can show us any good?". Let the light of your face shine upon us O Lord. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. (verses 4-8) 

Do I want to keep Jesus at the centre of my life? Do I want Him to shape my thoughts, my actions, my decisions, my perspective?

Therefore holy brothers... fix your eyes on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess (Hebrews 3:1)

Literally, think about Jesus. Not necessarily all of the time, but at some point in our day we must surely make space to consider what Jesus has done for us, and how that changes everything.

From that night in Aberdeen the simple lesson for me is, when I have free time should I sit on my laptop mindlessly browsing, should I daydream about that goal or that girl? Or would it be more beneficial for me to be still, to search my heart, and consider Jesus?