Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Make Time With God A Priority

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

-- Luke 5:16

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles.

-- Luke 6:12-13

A dear friend was frazzled. Okay. She was overwhelmed and burnt-out with all that fills her life. She was juggling everything just fine until something unexpected required her immediate attention. And then she had a melt down.

After she had vented for a while, I asked if she’d been spending time alone with God. Absolutely, she assured me. She’d spent a good five minutes that very morning praying and talking with God.

Five minutes. Umm, that’s not nearly enough time with God when life is going good. It sure doesn’t begin to be enough when life is falling apart. I began to understand why she was overwhelmed and out of sorts with her life. She’d put what should be her number one priority to the fit-it-in-where- and-when-you-can category.

I gently reminded her that five minutes with God couldn’t begin to satisfy her craving for time with Him. I urged her to make quiet time with God a priority in her life. And not just five minutes.

I also suggested she spend time reading the Bible and reflecting on its words. God speaks to us when we listen. But we have to make time to listen.

It’s hard sometimes. I know that. Life gets away from us rather quickly. We don’t want to turn off the TV or the cell phone or the laptop. We’re so plugged in to everything and everyone that we can’t imagine turning it all off for, well, silence.

Because that’s what alone time with God is all about. Silence. Oh, sure, we talk to Him. But it’s like any relationship. It’s a give and take thing. We talk awhile and then we listen awhile. If we keep telling God what we want from Him, we’ll never be able to hear what He wants from us.

Sometimes I think maybe that’s the point. We’re not sure we want to hear what God has to say. We’re afraid He’ll call us to do something we’ve never done before. We’re scared that He’ll demand more of us than we’ve ever given before. And how could we possibly fit anything else into an already overcrowded schedule?

By depending on God. By spending time alone with the One who gives us strength. By opening ourselves up to the peace that only He can give. Time with God should be the most important part of your day. And not just for five minutes. Give it try and see how much better everything works out when God becomes the priority in your world.