Wednesday, June 24
Our lives tend to be hectic and filled with tension and stress. Sometimes we have to work hard just to get by — to survive and to put food on the table. Other times, even when we have the necessities of life, we hustle and bustle because we want more and more. We want the things that we think will make us happy and fulfilled. But, as Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes warns us, that doesn’t always happen.
Whatever the reason, we can be terribly busy in our lives, and so it’s very easy, amid the busyness, to crowd out God. It’s not that we don’t believe, but only that we don’t spend quality time reading, praying, and drawing close to the Lord, "in whose hand thy breath is” (Daniel 5:23). We can be too diverted by other things to experience quality time with God. We all need moments in which we deliberately slow down to meet the one who is our Savior, Jesus. How can the Holy Spirit speak to us if we do not pause to listen? The special quiet time with God, in reading His Word and in the communication of prayer, is the source of our spiritual life.
Read Psalms 37:7; 46:10; and 62:1, 2, 5. What do these texts teach us about quiet time with God? Why is quiet time with God so important?
If you love someone, you enjoy spending time alone with that beloved person. Choose a place in which you can read and reflect on God’s Word without interruptions. In our hectic life, this can succeed only if you deliberately reserve a specific window of time for this encounter. Often the beginning of the day is best for these minutes of quietness and reflection. Such moments before the workday begins can become a blessing for the whole rest of the day, because the valuable thoughts you gain will accompany you for many hours. But be creative to find the right quality time you need in order to meet with God without interruption.
To be connected through prayer with the living God of the Bible affects your life as nothing else ever can. Eventually, it contributes to your becoming more like Jesus.
How deliberate are you in seeking time to spend alone with the Lord? What are those times like, and how do they help you to know even better the reality and love of God?
