Soggy Wheaties

At the beginning of this year I had tried to make an effort to have a more consistent prayer life and devotional time.  I had been reading the book "Passionate Prayer" by Brenda Walsh and had made my "travel room" into my prayer room but still wasn't having the experience that I was praying for.  I wanted to get up early and start my day out right but I just didn't seem to be able to get up before 7:30 in the morning and then I would get distracted and the day would go by and once again I wouldn't take time for God.  So I decided that I would set my alarm for 6:00 a.m. every morning and go directly to my prayer room and have my time with God.  Well, the first morning I got up but got distracted with reading the paper and having breakfast and before I knew it, it was 8 o'clock and I was so angry with myself.  I went into my prayer room and was crying and pouring out my frustrations to God and ended up having an amazing experience, coming out feeling exhilarated and ready to face the day.  So the next day I went directly to my prayer room upon awakening so I wouldn't get distracted and found myself falling asleep when I tried to pray, I couldn't focus on what I was reading and I was so discouraged and frustrated with myself.  I was beginning to think this whole idea was not going to work.  And then the very next day the morning devotional from "The Chosen" by Dwight Nelson was about the very trial I was going through.  He started out by saying that every breakfast isn't Belgian waffles and Spanish omelets, sometimes it's just a bowl of soggy Wheaties.  "And it's that way with prayer and worship, too.  There will be days when the Spirit of Jesus thunders loudly in your heart or whispers profoundly in your mind, and you'll leave your prayer closet revived, energized, and ready to conquer the world--or at least that day for God.  But worship can be a soggy bowl of Wheaties as well.  Not because God has failed you and me or the Gospel story let us down.  But simply because we're human--we kept falling asleep during our worship or kept getting distracted by the agenda of a day already begging for attention, or we were too bothered by what happened yesterday or last night.  There are a thousand reasons for our frail humanity.  And a soggy bowl of Wheaties may be all you dish up today.  But that's OK, because the One we've come to meet and have grown to love knows all about us children, doesn't He?"
And when I read that I just started laughing and crying and couldn't believe what an amazing God I serve.  That He knew on March 7 I would need that devotional to help encourage me and keep me coming back to my prayer closet.  He never ceases to surprise me!