"For Jesus, time alone with God was not an option. It was not something He tacked on to an overcrowded schedule. It was His lifeline to the Father. It was not something He could do without. It was the highest priority of His life-more important than being with His disciples, more important than preaching the gospel, more important than time with His mother and brothers, more important than responding to the demands and needs of the crowds, more important than anything else."
~Nancy Leigh DeMoss
A Place of Quiet Rest
What about you? Is your time alone with the Lord the most treasured part of each day?
I spend time with the Lord, yes, but is it the most treasured, the most well guarded, part of my day? Right now I wish I could answer, "Yes," truthfully. The truth remains, when life gets busy, when the unexpected happens, I often find myself doing the "just enough to not feel too guilty" routine. I pray as I run out the door, "Lord, I had to leave by six this morning and You know I just did not have time. Oh, I love You Lord." And that is that. My day is busy, most likely stressful, but I rarely take ten to just be still and know that He is God. To raise my voice in praise. I complain, I gripe, I exclaim in frustration, but I do not often thank and praise. When those hectic days draw to a close and I lay in bed I sigh, "I wish I had stopped to spend time with You this morning Lord. I wish I had gotten up a little early so I could dedicate this day to You. Lord, I tried to do my best, but I'm not proud of what my best was. I needed Your help, but I was foolish and did not stop to pray. Lord, I'm sorry."
And yet, the next time, do I really guard that time any better? I have been thinking over the past month and I see that I have not. I cannot promise to change overnight, or that the next time I will get up earlier. But I mean to try. I want to be more like Jesus. I want to have more to give, because how can I give what I do not have? I need God's grace, love, and kindness if I am to give those things to others. I must seek His wisdom and strength if I am to encourage and to advise. With this in mind my motto for this coming week is going to be, "prayer is the reaction before action." Basically, before I do anything I want to pray. I want my first reaction to any question or doubt about a decision to be prayer. And so, another week of striving to live for the Lord begins. This time, not just with good intentions, but also with prayer.
What has God been speaking to your heart lately? I would love to hear from you. Please take a moment to comment about God's faithfulness in leading you ever nearer to His heart.
