Word On Wednesday...restart Part 2
My last piece talked about WHY we should spend time with God. I promised some practical “how tos”. Let’s get to the nitty gritty. It sounds good, but if you are like me, you have had some of these thoughts:
I don’t remember what I’ve read in the Bible right after I’ve read it
I don’t know how to do it. How do I actually spend time with God?
I’m not sure how to put together more than a few minutes. Where will I find the time?
The first thing to know is that it doesn’t matter. The core to this practice is relationship. It is about honoring God with the time and showing Him your commitment to Him. If you think about your best relationships, are they flowing along without talking to each other – both talking and listening? Do you say, “I can only talk to you one day a week?” or “I’m the only one who can talk in the relationship.”?
God wants to be IN relationship with us. Not an afterthought. Not a watered down version that we create. Have you ever seen the picture of Jesus knocking on the door? He’s wanting to come in. Did you notice there is no knob on the door?
He won’t come in without our opening the door. Think about that! He’s waiting, never going away, always with us, but expects us to be present in the relationship. He is not our “celestial Santa Claus” , as Joyce Meyer puts it, where we ask him for what we want and ignore him the rest of the time.
That stings me a little bit. With all the blessings in my life, do I just cry out to God and then ignore him the rest of the time? If I were God, I wouldn’t feel too great about being left out so much. In Jeremiah 2:32, God says, “Young women don’t forget their jewelry, do they? Brides don’t show up without their veils, do they? But my people forget me. Day after day after day they never give me a thought”. We “remember” or set our minds on putting so many other things as more important. Yikes!
So what do we do? How do we start? Let’s stop making this so complicated. We need to stop thinking that we have to be super religious to get this right! Think about how it feels to sing in worship or listen to your favorite praise songs. We feel lots of joy! Free yourself to start ENJOYING God. You don’t have to have the perfect prayer words or the perfect understanding.
This news was life changing for me. I can just enjoy God. He will take care of perfecting me. Let that sink in a minute.
I do not claim to be an expert on this topic in any way. In fact, it makes me kind of nervous to write on this subject. But I have been encouraged to share my thoughts, so I will. I share them as just that...things that have helped me and I pray will help you, too. I believe there is no perfect “formula” for spending time with God. You don’t eat the same thing every day. In the same way, keep variety in your time with God. Music, devotionals, Bible reading, writing….don’t be afraid to try.
How about if you learn to just sit? Like me, you probably have to practice that….a lot! Just sit and learn how to behold Him. Start there and just sit and say something like, “I am waiting on you. I believe you are working your healing power in me right now. I love you and I thank you” and be quiet.
Here are some other practical suggestions in no particular order:
Breath prayers. Breathe in and say a short phrase like “Jesus, I love you” and hold it and then breathe out another phrase like, “Thank you for loving me”. Do this for several minutes of meditation.
Listen to music and reflect on lyrics. Sing songs of praise!
Write love letters to Jesus! How about a journal or even real letters in envelopes with the date on them stored in a lovely box or even large envelope with the year on it.
Sit in different spaces and pray about and praise God for what you see.
See a picture of someone you love or who loves you… -“Thank you for my children. Thank you that they love me and we have a relationship together. Help me to….”
See a young mother walking by…
-“Lord, bless this mother. Remind her of your presence in her life. Send her your peace and patience in her most holy work….”
Read a chapter in Proverbs that matches the date of the month. Read chapter 23 on the 23rd of the month
Find some Bible based authors/speakers you resonate with and listen to Youtube videos. You can find things to listen to that are from 5 to 60 minutes and more! These come to mind:
Joyce Meyer
Mark Batterson
Ravi Zacharias
Lisa Harper
Lisa Terkeurst
I have found an app that I find fits my needs perfectly. It is called First 5. You can find it in your mobile phone app store. There are daily readings that follow Bible studies that are ongoing. It is a community of women. There are ways to interact and discuss the daily readings. You can keep track of how you are keeping up. There are links to Bible verses throughout. It is the perfect Bible study in my hands each morning no matter where I am. I can give my first fruits easily by using this app.
Proverbs31.org has an online version of different Bible studies you can sign up for and participate in. Some have a cost. There are many other sites you can explore as well. Pastor Kerry Nelson has a subscription to his daily devotions – one of my favorites! You can read today’s and subscribe here https://revkerry.com/ Get a hardcopy devotional such as Sarah Young's Jesus Calling. Great ways to spend 5 – 10 minutes before your day gets started.
Talk to God about things that are troubling you, things you need help with in your own life and relationship with God. Let Him know all your feelings. He can take them all! Go to an online concordance (or use a hard copy) and type in what you are feeling such as “worry” or “encouragement” and the concordance will lead you to verses in the Bible that talk about those things.
Buy a journal and write down a few Bible verses each day that speak to you through any of the above (or your own ways) of connecting with God and His word that you choose. Just like any learning, reading AND writing helps things stick J
Let’s explore the time element of spending time with God. Goodness, our days are so full. All I know is that nothing given to God is ever lost. He’ll give it back to you in new ways! Things will radically change when you give those first fruits.
You don’t need to spend your whole day. You don’t have to give up fun things! Start with a commitment to the first 10 minutes of your day. Get up a little earlier. Put something to listen to in the car on your way to work instead of the radio.
In the beginning, you may feel bored or not engaged….more of a ritual. Stick with it, and one day you’ll cross over to a new frame of mind and won’t be able to live without it. Think about giving God what He deserves. Give God the first portion of your time so He can bless the rest! It isn’t so important WHAT you do, as it is that you are honoring God with the time. If you give God time regularly, it will change your life. Seriously.
Looking forward to new steps forward in my Word on Wednesday posts on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/steadymysteps/. See you there!
I’ll close with a link to one of my favorite songs. The lyrics move me to tears every time I listen to it. Let me know what you think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP27ySgbYLU
ClipArt Source : <a title="Jesus Knocking Clipart" href="https://123clipartpng.com/images/clipart-116865.html">Jesus Knocking Clipart</a>
