Sunday, January 3, 2010

Rosebuds of Faith Series: Spending Quiet Time with God

"Come near to God and He will come near to you."
James 4:8


Quiet time....we hear about it in church, we talk about
it to others, and we know how important it is to our
walk with God. But are we faithful to actually DO IT?

Our lives are busy. That is a fact. We rise early, eat
on the run, rush to work or whatever appointment we
may have, and then we keep occupied all day long. By
the time we return home, we are physically and mentally
spent. It is all we can do to fix and eat dinner, do a few
chores around the house, and then tumble into bed, usually
later than we would like. Did we kiss our hubby goodnight?
Did we feed and pet the dog? Did we remember the kid's
names????

Nothing...and I do mean NOTHING....should steal our time
with our heavenly Father. It is the only way to start the day.
When we meet with Him in the early morning, we are not only
getting the best of Him; we are giving Him our best as well.
We are fresh, even if sleepy. We are new and open in our minds,
and in our hearts. We talk to Him about the previous day, or
the night before, or we discuss what we are facing today. And
He is right there, listening and speaking right back to us. Is
that not the most wonderful way to start your day? If we will
be still, we will hear His voice, and we will feel His presence.

But satan does not want us to have that time. He wants to make us
rush, rush, rush. Be late and then the whole day is shot. We are
shaken, tired, fearful, and completely off balance. And this is what
butters satan's bread.....when he can cause anxiety, separation from
our Father, and just plain old ruin our day. This makes him happy.

Ok, so who do we WANT to make happy? Is it satan...or is it God?
If we will rise just a little bit early, and dedicate a span of time with
our LORD, then HE will be happy. He is the one to please. He is the
one who literally wants to be with us. He loves relationship. He loves
us. He is like our earthly parents, in that He wants to spend time with
us, one on one, devoted, private time. Conversation does not need to
be deep; it does not even need to be continuous. Speak with Him....then
praise Him, and meditate on Him in His very presence. What a wonder
He is...what a great God He is...how He is so faithful to us....how He
always keeps His word.

We all have days when quiet time is difficult at best. But when we allow
it to be taken from us on a regular basis, we are missing the best moments
of our lives....moments with our God. Nothing draws us closer to Him than
time spent with Him. Nothing fills our hearts so completely as conversing
with Him does. And nothing satisfies the soul to overflowing as telling Him
how much we want to be with Him....and then placing Him first in our day
to do just that.

Make quiet time a part of your normal routine. There really is nothing
normal about it....we are spending time with the most marvelous, wonderful,
awesome, sovereign Being in the whole universe. What a day maker! Take
the time to enjoy the quiet....and His consuming presence in your life.

Blessings!

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