Quiet Time with God

Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD.

Each morning I bring my requests to You and wait expectantly.

Psalm 5:3 (NLT)

What is the first thing that you do in the morning? Do you wake up and immediately plug into Facebook to see what your friends and family are doing? Do you immediately check your email, the news, or Twitter to check out what is going on in the world and with those who are important to you? Or are you one of those that wake up with exactly 15 minutes to get out the door and get off to work?

We could be starting each day in a better way, one that could effect the remainder of our day and unlock the mystery of change in our lives. We could be starting the day in front of the One that loves us more than anyone else ever could. We could and should be starting our day in the presence of the Lord.

The most important time of the day is the time you spend ALONE with God. If we could effectively spend some quality time alone with God each and every morning it could change every moment that follows it. Lets look at some guidelines for spending quality time with God to start your day.

Start with the Proper Attitudes

The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart

1 Samuel 16:7

Why we do things is more important than what we do. We must come before God with the these proper attitudes:

· Expectancy. David brings his prayers before God and he waits expectantly! He expects God to answer his prayers and we should feel the same way. We should come before the Almighty with anticipation and eagerness of having a good time in fellowship knowing that we will be blessed because of our time together.

· Reverence. We should also come before God with respect, admiration, and awe. Coming into the presence of God isn’t like going to a football game. We must not rush into God’s presence but we should take time to prepare ourselves. Be still before Him and allow the concerns of the world to fall away.

· Alertness. Being attentive is a key component especially since we are talking about doing this before you do anything else in your day. Wake up, splash some cold water on your face and get out of bed! Go sit somewhere that you know you won’t be disturbed and get comfortable but make sure you are awake and alert. This might mean going to bed early the night before but what is more important, the latest edition of NCIS or spending some quality time with God before the following day gets underway?

· Willingness to Obey. We have talked about this one before so I won’t take much space here. Just come to meet God having already chosen to obey no matter what.

Select a Specific Time

What time is best for you is equally as important as to how long you spend in communion with God. In the Bible many godly men and women got up extra early to spend time with God.

· Abraham (Genesis 19:27)

· Job (Job 1:5)

· Moses (Exodus 34:4)

· David (Psalms 57:7-8)

· Isaiah (26:9)

Jesus even says seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).......so why not make some time first thing in the morning for the Lord? In the morning your mind is less cluttered, thoughts are fresh, and we are rested. The great missionary Hudson Taylor said, “You don’t tune up the instruments after the concert is over. That’s stupid. It’s logical to tune them up before you start.”

I am a morning person and without a doubt my quiet time with the Lord will be as soon as my alarm goes off. Whatever time you set though make sure you are consistent. Set it up, set an alarm for it, and stick to your time!! Would you cancel an appointment with your best friend or your boss because you were too sleepy? Why do it with God?

Choose a Special Place

Where you choose to meet with God is not a big deal in His eyes but it should be to you. The Bible points out in Genesis 19:27 that Abraham had a place that he liked to stand in the presence of the Lord. Jesus liked to spend His alone time in a special place as well (Luke 22:39). Wherever you choose should be a place where you can go and spend some interrupted time with God. You should be able to pray out loud, cry, yell, or whatever else you need to do without fear of being disturbed. As you meet God there on a consistent basis this place will hold an even more special place in your heart.

Follow a Simple Plan

1) Relax. Wait on God and be still.

· Be still and know that I am God

Psalm 46:10

2) Request. Pray a short opening prayer like Psalm 139:23-24 (which is one of my favorites) to get things started. This isn’t the main prayer.....just something to cleanse your mind and get it focused more intently on God.

3) Read. Read whatever passage of Scripture you choose but read it slowly, aloud but quietly, and repeatedly. It doesn’t matter if you actually pick up a leather-bound Bible or turn on your iPad, iPhone or mp3 player to read or listen to the Word in a different format. It doesn’t matter what translation you choose to read or listen to either. What matters is that you spend time and make a consistent effort in the Word of God.

4) Reflect & Remember. This is where you meditate on God’s Word. Now don’t get freaked out. Meditation is nothing more than thinking intently on something (the verses you just read) and contemplating it over and over in your mind. You don’t have to chant anything or put your body in any particular position. Just think about what you read.

5) Record. Write down what you think God is trying to say to you through the passages you read. If it’s nothing then don’t be afraid to write that down. It’s good to record things though so that you can go back and check on your progress.

6) Request. This is where you pray and speak to God. Notice up until now the majority of our quiet time has been spent LISTENING!! After all James 1:19 says we should be quick to listen and slow to speak.

The biggest thing to remember when sitting down and spending quiet time with the Lord is that you are trying to get to know Him better. You are seeking His will for you as well as using your time with Him as a personal tool toward change in your life. Once you know what He wants you can seek His strength to change.

Next week we will look at how to pray for change in your life by using the example that Jesus gave us in Matthew 6; The Lord’s Prayer.

Until then, have a great week and God bless you.