When I ask friends what is most important they will say “quiet time with God.” We gather over cups of hot coffee and talk about finding quiet time for God. Somewhere between work, relationships, children, friends, chores, shopping, paying bills and cooking dinner, a woman desires for alone time with God. Is this quiet time possible with so many demands on our precious time?
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Often a woman’s strongest desire is to have an intimate relationship with God. Yet this is her lowest priority in her time management.
She’ll tell me she missed devotional time because she battled with her son over unfinished homework. Her boss called for overtime work and she missed the weekly Bible study group. She waited in line to buy a fast food meal, then neglected to pray while eating from the front seat of her car. Finally home, a pile of unsorted laundry rests on her unmade bed. She is so tired from her day, she just falls down into an exhausted sleep.
Unable to pursue her goal for quiet time with God, she begins tomorrow with disappointment and anger. Chaos ensues in her constant struggle for what she calls “balance.”
Yet we know from our own experience that women are finding time and intimacy with God. They have adjusted their mindset and placed God into their day. These intentional women are making minor adjustments, such as:
- Adjusting time spent with friends
- Letting go of some television shows
- Waking up an hour earlier
- Cutting down on volunteer hours
- Shortening social media interactions
But friends are important. Keeping informed and watching the news is important. Getting rest and sleep is important. Volunteering is important. Social media is important for those who work online or feel isolated at home. Life is important.
Let me ask you this: If you had five minutes to live, would you do these “important” things? Do you need a life-threatening event to ignite your intimacy with God?
If you have experienced a life threatening event, most likely you found God in the storm. You know what it feels like to be close to God. You know Him as your Friend, Counselor, Protector, and Father. This motivates you to spend more time in His presence.
You study the Bible, praise His name, attend church service and join a Bible study. Over time, you may again be afflicted with a boredom of faith. Maybe you feel church is boring after 20 years with the same pastor. Perhaps Scripture is overly familiar and you know the ending of all the Bible stories. You allow the flame of faith- to extinguish again.
All these thoughts saturate your once intimate mind, and once again, you’re Satan’s prey.
It is not easy to release the clutches of Satan when he makes life seem more comfortable. Yet the benefit of resisting him is a lifelong intimacy with God. Your heart, soul and mind are filled with the Holy Spirit. God becomes your best friend. Are you really too busy for God?
What can you do to seek intimacy with God?
- read a daily devotional
- read a passage of Scripture
- play worship music in your home
- write a few sentences in your prayer journal
- memorize a Bible verse
Don’t tell God you’re too busy or you’ll spend time with him as a New Year’s Resolution. Stop putting the King of Kings, lover of your soul… on a backburner for another day!
Life is not about being busy, it’s about celebrating your relationship with a LIVING God.
