Time to Worship God
Throughout my life I have struggled with finding time alone with God while juggling my daily tasks. I often found myself overwhelmed with cramming into a day everything I thought needed to be accomplished. There were many people and responsibilities pulling at me. Although every day was brand-new, the feeling of having too much to do remained the same.
Then one day I had had enough.
I was tired.
Not just tired—my soul was weary.
I opened my Bible and read Philippians 4:6-7 from the Message; it covered me like a snuggly blanket on a fall evening:
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
How easy it is to forget the importance of spending time with God! There is no other source that can calm us, that can center us so perfectly.
I talked with a few close friends, asking them when they spend time worshipping God in their daily lives. Their answers shocked me. I found I was not alone in my struggle.
We have all heard that you should get up and spend an hour with the Lord before you start your day. I have heard that so often that I thought it was the only way and that if I didn’t get it done first thing—I was doomed.
Well, it wasn’t first thing in the morning, but I set my timer for 15 minutes. I set out a notebook, grabbed my Bible, and got busy. I wrote this verse out, looked up different versions of it, then read the entire chapter. I also looked up verses that were related.
Ten minutes in I started praying. It went something like this:
God, I am here, spending time with you because of what Your Son has done for me. My life is chaotic. I am ricocheting from one thing to another. My world feels like it is spinning out of control. I need you. I need Your rest. Show me how to experience your wholeness. I am desperate and You are my only hope. I don’t want my time with you to be a box that I check off of my to-do list. I want to live freely and lightly with You.
The next day I did something similar. And the next day, and the next. I set my timer, found a verse, looked it up, read various versions of it, and wrote them down. I now write down my prayers to the Lord, or I jot down a few things that are on my mind. It is amazing how that with consistent reading and asking the Lord about what you’re reading the Word comes alive.
Sometimes I just write the verse I am reading over and over and process it throughout the day.
I also keep a space on my paper for capturing distractions. This is key for me. When my mind wanders during my quiet time, I write down what has popped into my head and I say to that thing, “I will get to you later.” Then I go back to my reading or praying.
This is now my routine. Of course, I miss a day here and there, but I have let go of the guilt that once riddled me. When I miss, I feel like I have missed time with a friend.
Now I set my timer for longer than 15 minutes, not to make sure that I spend that much time in the Bible or in prayer, but to make sure I stop in time to get my daily responsibilities completed. Going from setting a timer to make sure I spend time with the Lord to setting a timer to make sure I stop spending focused time with the Lord...I never thought it would be this way!
I have challenged my children to be similarly intentional:
To start setting a timer. To select items that make their quiet time effective. To ready them beforehand. For my daughter, it is a journal and colored pens. For my son, it is his Bible only. I like to have a notebook, colored pens, highlighter, and my Bible app to make it easier to look up different versions. A word of caution about needing “items” to spend time with God—don’t let not having them keep you from time with Him.
We are each created uniquely; our time worshipping the Lord will not always look the same.
For example, some days it is singing my heart out in the car while driving. At other times, it’s gazing in awe at the fall colors. Time with our Creator does not have to be mundane, routine, a box that needs to be checked off before the end of the day.
Make a log of your activities throughout the day. What can be rearranged? What isn’t really that important? Ask the Lord to help you find a way to reserve time for Him. Add it to your calendar. Set an alarm on your phone. Whatever it takes!
In the stress of my discontent with how my devotional life was going, I made a conscious decision. So now I no longer care if I run a little late, if my family doesn’t have it all together, if things go undone. I have made time in the Word and in prayer a priority.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
I Thessalonians 5:16-18, ESV