Quiet Time With God

TOPIC: QUIET TIME WITH GOD.

TEXT: ISAIAH 41:1; MARK 1:35

"Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together for judgment"

"And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed"

One major practice of the believers that ensures our closer walk with God is the observance of Quiet Time or Personal Devotion as some like to call it.

Quiet time is a time of intimate fellowship with God at which time God speaks to us through His word and we speak to Him through prayers, praise, and worship.

An appraisal of God dealing with man reveals that God desired our fellowship with Him more than we can ever imagine. We saw this played out in the Garden of Eden where God came down in the cool of the day to have fellowship with Adam and Eve.

"And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the cool of the day...And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou" (Genesis 3:8A, 9).

Some believers think that our services to God are of greater value in our walk with God. But from the revelation of Scripture, fellowship is the most important thing God wants from us. He wants us to come and know Him, to be with Him, and to spend time with Him. The more mature we become in our relationship with God, the more we appreciate this quiet time with Him.

A consistent personal devotion is a path to spiritual strength and growth. In the book of Jeremiah, God extended an invitation to us to "call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knoweth not" Our daily meeting with God will increase our spiritual knowledge and understanding of the things of the Spirit.

Daniel was a man great in personal devotions "...he kneeled down upon his upon knees three times a day, and prayed, and gives thanks before his God, as he did aforetime" (Daniel 6:10B)

It was not surprising that he had an excellent spirit and understood the spiritual realities above his peers.

Starting the day with God allows us to connect with our Creator who knows the details about us, and loves us so dearly. It also enables us to renew our mind, refreshes our soul, inspires us, and show us great and mighty things which we do not know. We need to listen to God for comfort and direction in our lives. When we make fellowship with God a priority, all other things will fall into place. The Lord Jesus said, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).

It's common knowledge in the Scriptures that Jesus would often withdraw to a quiet place to pray. (Mark 1:35)

During this daily quiet time, the Lord Jesus habitually remove Himself from the busyness of life and ministry and spend time in intimate communion with His Father. If the Lord needed this time apart with the Father, it stands to reason that we need to do the same if not more. We need to withdraw ourselves from the ever-increasing demands of social media and activities beckoning for our attention.

PROCEDURES FOR QUIET TIME.

Select a place void of any form of distraction to meet with God. You are also at liberty to choose the time of the meeting. However, the early hour of the morning should be considered to follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Mark1:35)

Tom Hudzina formulated a workable template for a profitable quiet time. The template is in three stages 1.Talk to God 2. Listen to God and 3. Talk to God. This template conforms to the principle of prayers the Lord thought us in what is generally referred to as the Lord's Prayer. (Matthew 6: 9-13).

1.The first stage is to talk to God.

a.Praise and worship Him for who He is. Adore His holy name and extol the attributes of God and so on. (Matt 6:9)

b.Then confess your sins and shortcomings to God and equally forgive those who have offended you. (Matt 6:1;1John1:8,9)

2.The Second stage is to listen to God.

a.Prayerfully read a passage from the Bible. What does it say to you?

b.Prayerfully reflect on the meaning of the passage and ensure you have a clear understanding of the content and context. Using a Study Bible is advisable.

c.Prayerfully apply it to life. What does it mean to you?

3Talk To God Again

a.Thanksgiving. Thank God for the specific blessings you got from His talking to you during the Bible meditations.Thank God for the inspiration and revelations from His word.