Time and time again I feel like I fall short of good quiet time with God. Now it could be the lack of sleep, which doesn’t help in the cause to get up early.
Or, it could be the laundry that gets piled up, the baby that just wants you and no one else, the 3 year old who wants five million things all at once, the son or daughter that needs to be taken to soccer practice, then to piano lessons, followed by youth group, or the husband who just needs you for a minute to help with a small project that ends up taking an hour or two.
Even the dishes that have sat in the sink all day awaiting your attention could be the reason you put off your quiet time. Now I know that all these things are important in their own right, but if they sound like excuses…you’re right, they are excuses. They are all things that need to be done, but so does your quiet time with God.
I was talking with a good friend the other day that was sharing with me how she knows all the right answers and what she needs to do. And yet, she still stalls trying to do everything on her own without finding time to sit for a moment and spend time with God. We talked about how so many times we try to do everything through our own strength and we get tired quickly. I totally related.
God will always wait for you. He will always be there. He will help if and when we realize that it is our job to call on Him and ask Him for help but most importantly we must remember to worship Him. He never promises things will be easy or that (poof!) He will take it all away. But, He does promise to be with you and to never leave you.
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
I am so thankful for friends that you can be “real” with and the ones who know you so well that sometimes you don’t need to say anything at all…they just know you need pray. I started to make time to meet regularly with God…even if some days it is just 10 minutes. I am growing and it’s a challenge that I face daily.
Recently I was struck by a quote from a book I am reading titled A Mom After God’s Own Heart by Elizabeth George. It said, “The degree of our spiritual strength will be in direct proportion to the time we spend in God’s Word.” You can think on that and decide for yourself if you agree or not. But what I took from it is that no matter what, the more time I spend with Him the more patient I am with my children and situations that come my way don’t seem as difficult. Decisions and time are handled easier and my own insecurities become less as I feel more confident and trust in His plan.
As my friend and I discussed, it is amazing how when we just do it, it all works out. I haven’t reached my goal yet but I am working towards it. So where is your time spent? Will you be challenged like me and spend that time no matter what happens in your day? Even if the dishes reach the ceiling…He is worth it.
Philippians 3:12-14
“12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
