O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek You. Psalm 63:1
When you come to meet with God, you should have an attitude of:
1
Expectancy
Expect to 'give and get' from your time together. And make it a time of intimacy. It's impossible to have a love affair in a crowd or a public place; intimacy calls for being alone with the one you love. The Bible speaks about Christ as the Groom and us as His bride. Think of the anticipation and excitement shared in such moments.
Expectancy
Expect to 'give and get' from your time together. And make it a time of intimacy. It's impossible to have a love affair in a crowd or a public place; intimacy calls for being alone with the one you love. The Bible speaks about Christ as the Groom and us as His bride. Think of the anticipation and excitement shared in such moments.
2
Reverence
Don't rush into God's presence. Prepare your heart by being still before Him and letting the quietness clear away the thoughts of the world. Remind yourself Who it is you're meeting with - God! "You are worthy. to receive glory and honour" (Revelation 4:11).
Reverence
Don't rush into God's presence. Prepare your heart by being still before Him and letting the quietness clear away the thoughts of the world. Remind yourself Who it is you're meeting with - God! "You are worthy. to receive glory and honour" (Revelation 4:11).
3
Alertness
Get to bed early so you'll be in good shape to meet God in the morning. He deserves your full attention. Give God the best part of your day - when you are the freshest. Follow the example of Christ: "Very early in the morning, Jesus went off to a solitary place, where He prayed" (Mark 1:35). Hudson Taylor said, "You don't tune up the instruments after the concert is over; you tune them up before you start."
Alertness
Get to bed early so you'll be in good shape to meet God in the morning. He deserves your full attention. Give God the best part of your day - when you are the freshest. Follow the example of Christ: "Very early in the morning, Jesus went off to a solitary place, where He prayed" (Mark 1:35). Hudson Taylor said, "You don't tune up the instruments after the concert is over; you tune them up before you start."
4
Willingness
This attitude is crucial: you don't come to your quiet time to choose what you will or won't do, but with the purpose of doing anything and everything God wants you to do. Jesus said, "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether My teaching comes from God" (John 7:17). So come to meet with the Lord, having already chosen to do His will no matter what!
Willingness
This attitude is crucial: you don't come to your quiet time to choose what you will or won't do, but with the purpose of doing anything and everything God wants you to do. Jesus said, "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether My teaching comes from God" (John 7:17). So come to meet with the Lord, having already chosen to do His will no matter what!
Stephen Olford said, "I want to hear God's voice before anyone else's in the morning. And His is the last voice I want to hear at night." David and Daniel met with the Lord three times daily (See Ps. 55:17; Dan. 6:10). Whatever time you set, be consistent. Put it on your calendar; make an appointment with God as you would with anyone else. And keep it. Don't stand Him up! The question is often asked, "How much time should I spend?"
Here are some guidelines:
1. Don't start with a two-hour quiet time. You may get discouraged. You'll create memories of failure rather than memories of success. You must grow in this relationship as you do in any other. So begin with a few minutes and let it grow.
2. Don't clock-watch. That'll ruin your quiet time faster than anything else. Decide what you can do in God's Word and prayer during the time you've selected; then do it! Sometimes it'll take more time than you have set aside, sometimes less. But don't keep looking at your watch.
3. Emphasise quality, not quantity. It's what you do during your quiet time – whether 15 minutes or two hours - that's important.
4. Choose a special place. "Next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord" (Genesis 19:27). Your special place ought to be a place where: (a) you can pray aloud without embarrassment; (b) you're comfortable. (Don't have your quiet time in bed - that's too comfortable!) As the days go by your special place will come to mean everything to you because of the wonderful times you have there with the Lord.
2. Don't clock-watch. That'll ruin your quiet time faster than anything else. Decide what you can do in God's Word and prayer during the time you've selected; then do it! Sometimes it'll take more time than you have set aside, sometimes less. But don't keep looking at your watch.
3. Emphasise quality, not quantity. It's what you do during your quiet time – whether 15 minutes or two hours - that's important.
4. Choose a special place. "Next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord" (Genesis 19:27). Your special place ought to be a place where: (a) you can pray aloud without embarrassment; (b) you're comfortable. (Don't have your quiet time in bed - that's too comfortable!) As the days go by your special place will come to mean everything to you because of the wonderful times you have there with the Lord.
Bob Gass
With luv and prayers,
Jeffie John Parackal.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".
Phil 4:13
Jeffie John Parackal.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".
Phil 4:13
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