Tuesday, October 5, 2021 Some material taken from Helping God Help Me
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God? Psalms 42:2
The Benefits Of Time With God
We are busy people, always on the go, hustling from one thing to the next. Getting stuff done. We often push our quiet time with God to the end of the list for various reasons. Eventually we find out what kind of a toll this takes on our lives. The absence of time in the presence of God will manifest itself in many ways in our lives Most of all, our hearts will be so heavy we can barely function.
A quiet time with God is so important for many reasons such as for fellowship with God, to speak to and Hear from God, to memorize and meditate on God’s Word, and to receive instruction and direction from Him.
As parents and grandparents, there is little that is of more importantance we can do for our children and grandchildren than letting them know that having a quiet time with God is important to us. We are modeling for them a discipline that will shape their lives and relationships with God.
Jesus knew the importance of this time with His Father. That is why He told us to go into a closet to pray. Going into a special place and closing out the rest of the world feels like a very intimate one-on-one time with God – and it is. It doesn’t have to be an actual closet. It can be any place where you can shut out the world and open your heart and mind to Him and what He wants to tell you. The important part is shutting out the world and opening your heart and mind to Him. If we don’t intentionally find a space where we can not be distracted, and focus completely on Him, we can be derailed from our time with Him. He quietly waits for us to come to Him. Because He isn’t loud like a ringing phone, or a crying child, we can easily ignore His silent tugs for the tyrnany of the urgent. But nothing will be more urgent than how our heart feels when we ignore our time with Him. If we choose a specific place to meet God on a regular basis, it willl help us stay more consistent in our quiet time.
When we have a daily quiet time, in a quiet place, we receive so many benefits including:
• Release the pressure from feeling – We can express our emotions openly in His presence – even anger. He loves us and cares how we feel. Even if He knows, it is helpful to say it anyway.
• Reflect on what has taken place in time – Sometimes we just need to get quiet and think about what has happened in our lives lately, especially if we have been through a lot. I often avoid thinking about what has happened, but there is so much value in acknowleding what we have been through.
• Refresh by rest – Resting in Him and in His presence brings so much peace. It calms our hearts and gives us a whole new perspective. It gives us the stregth to keep going.
You may think that there is no special closet or space for you to have a quiet time with God. God does not only listen to us if we are in a special place. Having quiet time in a special place is for our own benefit so we won’t be distracted or held back. Do what works for you. It could be in your car on the way to work, or it could be in your favorite chair in the living room before everyone else wakes up. Choose a place that is quiet and comfortable – your own private sanctuary. A place where you can talk to and focus on God without distractions.
Satan will do everything he can to interefere, but be intentional and protect your time and space with God. Having this time with Him is so important for our relationship with Him and for helping us on our path of transformation to be more like Him.
