Time with My Lord

“The best way to receive God’s peace is by sitting quietly in His presence and trusting Him in every area of our lives.” This is one of the things I read in my devotional lately which I’m trying to take to heart.

Taking time to “sit quietly” in His presence needs to become my priority.

In this life of busy schedules, car-pooling kids around, work, meetings, cleaning, cooking, social media, Netflix, etc., etc., etc…carving out time to sit quietly with the Lord is something that has to be done intentionally, otherwise days fly by until we blink and we can’t remember the last time we spent time at the feet of Christ.

It is a delicate balance, however, because time with the Lord is not supposed to be just one more thing in our schedule. It is not another work or task we have to perform and cross out of our infamous list. Time with Jesus is meant to nurture our personal relationship with Him. Imagine if you’d look at time with your husband, boyfriend, friends, children as a task that needs completed, done and over with. What kind of relationship would that be? I know for me, that would NOT be a relationship. It would be a chore.

Time spent with the people I love is precious, and I treasure it. Even when they drive me crazy, I LOVE being with them. My loved ones are the joy of my life! A chore, however, I deeply dislike.

The idea of “having to do” something makes it unbearable. I don’t like “having to do things.” The time I spent doing chores is time I considered wasted. Therefore, I refuse to place my time with the Lord in a category of things I have to accomplish.

I want to spend time with Him because I want to know Him more and more. I want to be in His presence. I want to tune into His frequency and I want to plug into His power. I want to follow Him. I want to seek Him first. I want to have a relationship because I love Him.

How do I do that?

I surround myself with Him. I stay aware of His presence as I remember He is the Emmanuel, God with us. I get a Bible app in my phone so wherever I am, I can open up Scripture. I program the radio in my car with all the Christian stations so I can stay in touch through music and commentaries. I invoke the Holy Spirit every step I take, with every decision I make, at every moment I need guidance, every time I need inspiration. I thank the Father for the blessings and gifts, big and small. I carry the name of Jesus at the tip of my tongue, calling out to Him every time I’m afraid, anxious, joyful, peaceful, and all the range of emotions that keep me alive. I take advantage of moments in the day when all is quiet and I’m alone to turn my face toward Him to listen to His voice.

I make My Lord part of my life.

I want to sit quietly with You, My Savior. I want to be aware of your presence. I want to see your hand. I want to feel I’m yours.