De-compartmentalize Your Quiet Time Sharon Jaynes Todays Truth Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long (Psalm 119:97, NIV). Friend to Friend I love, absolutely love, studying Gods Word. From the time I first said yes to Jesus, I have devoured the Scriptures. And yet, Ill admit, extended times of prayer have been a struggle for me. Perhaps that is one reason it is called a discipline. I have to discipline myself to set the time apart—to be still and know. But then I began to realize just how compartmentalized my time with God had become. My spiritual life was more like an outlined lesson plan with sub-headings A, B, C, and 1, 2, 3 than a love relationship with Jesus. So I made a change. It was Gods suggestion really. Why not pray and read at the same time? When I read the Bible, I pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal what the words say, what they mean, and how I can apply them to my life. For example, one day while reading Ephesians 1:8, I felt compelled to pray this verse for several people. So I stopped reading and began communing with God in prayer. Dear Lord, I pray for Steven today. I pray that You will open the eyes of his heart so that he may see the hope to which You have called him and the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints… I prayed that Scripture for several people, until I felt the promptings from the Holy Spirit cease. Then God and I got back to reading again. Another day, I was reading Matthew 6:9, what weve come to know as The Lords Prayer. Our Father, Jesus began. Stop right there and think about that, the Holy Spirit seemed to say. Our Father. As I ruminated and marinated in the words our and father God spoke to my heart about the sort of father Id always longed for and the sort of Father I already had in Him. If I had stuck to a schedule for my Bible reading that week, I would have fallen terribly behind. But the continual conversation I had with God about that one little word, father, was priceless. Consider the word meditate. This word often conjures up images of Eastern religious practices. But it is a wonderful word that we should not be afraid to use. Meditation simply means to think deeply and continuously about something. For a Christian, meditation and constant communication go hand in hand. As we think deeply and continuously about Gods Word, He opens our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and our minds to understand. When you meditate on Scripture, you mull over Gods words in your mind until they move from your head to your heart. So heres my suggestion…pray and read…at the same time. Ive decided that when I read Gods Word, Im going to keep the lines of communication open. After all, this is the only book you will ever read where the Author is right there with you every time you open the pages! Lets Pray Good morning Lord! I cant wait to experience this day with You. Im so glad that Jesus is in me and I am in Him. Were in this thing called life together. Help me practice Acts 17:28 today…In him we live and move and have our being – in him we exist. In Jesus Name, Amen. Now Its Your Turn Read Ephesians Chapter 1 and pray various Scriptures over the people God brings to mind. Dont stop until Gods promptings stop.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 12:03:20 +0000
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