by Kim Avery
How does one shop for a place to hold a heart? A place to pray? A space for two, just me and my God? Five years ago these very questions sent me on a quest for what came to be known as my beloved prayer chair.
I knew that I needed this chair not because there was an empty space in my room but because there was an aching place deep in my heart. Now don’t misunderstand, I prayed. I prayed a lot. But somehow a yearning for a dedicated routine, a regular time, and a holy space was steadily growing from within.
I didn’t know what this special piece of furniture would look like or where it would be found, but I knew it was out there waiting for me to bring it home.
Unique Qualifications
In my mind, a prayer chair has to have several unique qualifications. It needs to be soft and yielding so I can get lost in its arms. It must be just the right height so I can kneel in holy delight. This chair must allow me to sit straight so I can intercede for others with attentiveness and care. It must be large enough to hold my sobs when the sorrows of life threaten to overwhelm and offer a soft pillow to hug to comfort my soul.
I hate to admit it but there was one other thing that had to be true, it had to be cute, an expression of the beauty of my Jesus who had captured my love smitten heart.
The hunt was on.
How Embarrassing
From store to store, from place to place I searched and looked for this one special chair. But I quickly discovered that it couldn’t be found through visual observation alone. It had to be tested and tried to see if it was the one. Swallowing my pride, I ran each likely candidate through its paces as the salesmen debated my sanity from the back of each store.
- I sat in it primly to see if it would keep me awake
- I flopped down carelessly to see if it could hold me while I wept
- I knelt on the showroom floor to test out its height
- I hugged each cushion to see if it felt right
Finally this one chair captured my heart and I’ve called it home for the past five years. But THE prayer chair is no more.
So, it’s time for the hunt to begin again. And in the depths of my completely mature and deeply spiritual soul, all I can say is that I sure hope that there will be different salesmen in the store this time so they don’t lock me out when they see my car pull in
To be continued…
How about you? Do you have a special place where you meet with God? Leave a comment and let us know about it.
Tags: *Kim Avery, prayer chair
I don’t have a special place yet but I have been yearning — and that’s it, really, a physical and heartfelt yearning — for a prayer closet. The home we’re probably moving to is very small compared to the home we have now but I really want to find a way to make my own little prayer closet there.
Hi Shelby,
I’ll pray (even without my chair
) that the Lord will give you a special place or corner for special communion with God. He’s everything, isn’t He?
Make sure whatever you get fits through the doorway.