Right now I feel like I am in a bit of a spiritual funk. My quiet times have been sporadic (almost non-existent). My prayer life has been suffering. But, that is about to change. Despite my funk, I feel that I am on the brink of a spiritual renewal.
Last night at bible study, Amy was discussing seeing Beth Moore this past week and Beth said something to the effect of, it isn’t that you don’t have enough time for quiet time, it’s about knowing who is the authority over your life. Amy went on to say that God’s mercies are new every morning, so the morning is when we should be having our quiet time – no matter how short it is. You need that start to your day. This really struck me. And so, I decided that I was going to have a quiet time in the morning.
This morning I woke up and thought about my quiet time I was supposed to have. And I hit snooze – three times. When I did finally get up, I went to the living room, checked my blog, my email, my facebook – my bible was still sitting on the bookcase in my room. After all that, I finally submitted to the tug of the holy spirit, went to our bedroom and pulled my bible, journal and Richard Foster’s Prayer off the shelf and went back to the living room. I decided to read Jude, since that is Elias’ middle name. The “Call to Persevere” struck me the most (particularly the parts in bold):
20But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. 21Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
22Be merciful to those who doubt; 23snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
With these thoughts on my mind, I journaled about life right now, questions that I have and about the faithfulness of God. I pray that this start to my day will give me strength and hope during the day.
I confess that I have not been doing a good job of building myself up in the faith of the Lord. I pray that is about to change.
How is your walk right now? What do you do to build yourself up in the faith of the Lord?
Peace be with you today.
I think we all have this struggle from time to time, or at least I know I do. I also struggle with praying with my husband. My husband and I have been attending a “connect group” on Sunday nights called Marriage on the Rock at our church and it has not only helped me in my prayer life with my husband but also in my own prayer life as well. My pastor’s wife challenged us to pray and seek God before we ever get out of bed, even if it is only for a few minutes. Before you place your feet on the floor in the mornings pray. I am telling you that since I have started doing that my days are so much better and I feel closer to Him. I have three children ages 3,4 and 6 so finding quiet time can be hard at times but in the morning when I am hitting snooze I am also praying and praising God.
Hi Jessica, I read your blog all of the time but usually don’t post. I so hear what you are saying. I am trying real hard to be more intentional in my devotion time with God. Its not always easy but I heard someone say recently that they want to be more then just a Sunday go to meeting person. It hit me hard that as much as I call myself a christian if I am not living that in my daily life then I am nothing. And the funny thing is when I do pick up my bible and have quiet time it is amazing how God speaks to me. This morning I refused to get out of bed until I had spent a little time in the word (of course having th bible by my bed helped). And once I did this he started revealing some things to me. Just imagine if I had ignored that pull? How different my day would be if I did this each and every day?
After baby #3, I started making a priority to get up and do my quiet time in the morning (usually) before kids were up. What a difference it made in my attitude with my family! I’ve slipping some in the last few weeks (a nocturnal baby has beaten me down LOL), but I find I miss that morning time. 🙂
i struggle with quiet time/prayer almost everyday. i told myself just this morning that i am going to start leaving the bible and study guide on my desk by the computer and not allow myself computer time until i’ve had god time!
thanks for the reminder!
You’re NOT ALONE! Oh I struggle with quiet time but I find that it makes my day when I do it and breaks my day when I choose not to. God wants 100% of me and His word is the only place I can get to know him.
I’ve chosen to study book by book using Precept Upon Precept by Kay Arthur. (precept.org). I realized last year that I couldn’t pin point scripture and I never read and truly understood what the Bible was asking me to change in my life. Precept was the perfect choice to fix this problem. The studies are intense, 5 days a week and they are so convicting, just what I needed. They don’t give me any wiggle room. I study the bible line by line.
As far as prayer, I read “Lord Teach Me to Pray in 28 Days” because I was not connecting to God. This book changed my whole approach to prayer in a great way.
A good book for young moms is Youniquely Woman. I just finished it and LOVED the insights regarding how we should pray for our kids. Great stuff.
Good luck with your quiet time! God will bless you for studying His Word. Okay, I’ve gone on too long. Can’t wait to read about your new delivery when he arrives!!!
xoxo, maria (a lurker on this blog:)
I do sit down at about 6:30 to have quiet time with the Lord…but I’ve learned, with 6 children, to be interruptable. I used to get sooo mad when my quiet time was interrupted. Now, when my two year old wakes up early, I just sit her on my lap with her blankie and pray while inhaling the scent of her hair and snatching kisses…I feel that the Lord is a lot more pleased by this than me trying to defend what I selfishly assume is “me time”.
I read my Bible, like Proverbs and Psalm for the day, then I journal the verses that spoke to me.
As far as praying, i am a constant pray-er. I talk to God without even thinking. During dishes, laundry, driving on errands, resting….I guess you could say it’s prayer without ceasing.
I think God is really going to bless you and energize your faith and your spirit if you set aside a time to let Him know you are really listening….but don’t be freaked if you forget or miss.
Also, I make sure all of my chores are done and me and the kids have our together Bible time before I get on the computer.
Hope this helps!
Leanne in Longview
I can relate. I have gone through the struggle of making time for God for so long. I finally realized I was failing because I was looking at it as one more thing on my to-do list — even though I knew it would have great benefits — it often remained the last thing checked off or often unchecked. I recently read a book called Crazy Love. It really has helped me set my self free and run in His Grace.