If I were to
really get vulnerable and honest, I would have to say that one of the biggest
struggles I deal with in my Christian walk is having a quiet time. I find myself so often making excuses or
simply getting lazy and don’t spend the time in God’s Word that I should. It is so easy in this overly stimulated world
that we live in; between phones, television, or even being overly involved in
worldly activities, to find ourselves pushing God to the back burner. Even as I write this, I find myself
distracted by what’s going on in the next room, thoughts of my to-do list, and
even the worship song I am listening to in attempts to drown out the background
noise. It is a battle I often find
myself in. However, I know deep down
that there is nothing more valuable in my Christian walk than immersing myself
into God’s word and spending time in his presence. I don’t think God can make the importance of
studying scripture any clearer than what he says in Joshua 1:8 “Study this book of instruction continually,
meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in
it. Only then will you prosper and
succeed in all you do.” I believe
that sometimes God calls us to a deeper level with him at the moment right
before he brings us to the next level in our lives. That verse comes at the moment when God is
just about to allow Joshua to lead the Israelites out of the wilderness and
into the Promised Land. Talk about a new
level in life!
In my own life
this has occurred several times. I can
vividly remember one such time as a high school senior at a tremendous
crossroads trying to decide what the next step in my life should be. I had narrowed my choices down to 2 vastly
different universities and majors. One
was to study Agricultural Business at a state university and the other was to
study Youth Ministry at a Christian university.
I remember praying over and over for guidance, direction, and
peace. It came! I realized that there was not a sense of
peace about going to the Christian university, as noble as that may have been. God had other things in store for me. However, I had to really press in to be able
to receive the answer I needed.
Sometimes we
put off pressing in. I know that I am the number one procrastinator in that area because if I get really honest: It’s
hard! It’s hard to unplug and just focus
on God. However, for me at least, it is
so very rewarding when I actually do it.
When I finally just get alone with God that is when he can really speak
to me.
There is a
story in Luke chapter 10 that shines a light on the value of spending time with
the Lord rather than focusing on all of life’s distractions, even if those
distractions are not bad things. It is
the story of the two sisters: Martha and Mary.
Martha is a type A personality who is busy preparing a big dinner for
Jesus and his disciples, which honestly seems like a wonderful thing to be busy
with. However, her sister is not helping
with the preparations; she is instead sitting around listening to what Jesus
has to say. Martha, being the type A person,
says to Jesus (paraphrased) “It’s not fair that I’m doing all this work and
Mary is doing nothing, tell her to get up and help me.” Rather than relaying the message to Mary,
Jesus tells Martha, “You are worried and
upset over all these details! There is
only one thing worth being concerned about.
Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke
10:41 NLT. Apparently even Jesus saw
the value of stopping and just spending time with the Lord without allowing the
distractions of life to get in the way.
I find myself
falling into the same trap as Martha all the time. Even something as simple as worrying about
what I will be cooking for lunch after church can completely distract me from
spending time with Jesus and learning what the Lord is trying to speak to me
during the actual church service.
Just like human
relationships, our relationship with God is a two-way street. Good relationships require time and effort on
the part of both people involved. When
two people spend a lot of time and energy together they grow closer and enjoy
each other’s company. You really get to
know someone when they are a part of your everyday life. I know so many things about my husband; his
likes, dislikes, and favorite hobbies because we have spent countless hours
together. We love each other’s company
and we serve each other. He does many
things for me all the time, and I do the same thing for him. However, if the only time I talked to him was
when I needed something and I never even acknowledged him any other time, there
would probably be some resentment on his part.
Eventually he may not even want to be in a relationship anymore.
Fortunately for
us, no matter how much we push God away, he never wants to not be in
relationship with us. He seeks to have a
relationship with us. “For the Son of man came to seek and save
those who are lost” Luke 19:10 NLT. He
came after us. He is in constant
pursuit of us every single day of our life.
“Here I am! I stand at the door
and knock. If anyone hears my voice and
opens the door, I will come in” Revelation 3:20 NIV. The catch in that verse is
where it says “IF anyone hears my voice AND opens the door.” That tells me that there is an action
required on our part. We must first hear
Gods voice but we also have to allow him in.
That’s where many people, myself included, tend to struggle. We have to learn how to push past our
inhibitions to step into the blessings of God.
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