What is the “Quiet Time” with God and why is it so important in order for you to grow strong in your faith as a Christian? To define it very simply it is time alone with God. Many of you are married and I suspect that when you were courting you had no trouble spending time with your beloved! You were in love! You wanted to talk with them, listen to them, hear their desires and their hearts. It was not hard for you to find the time and to shut out other things that interfered with that time. That time was precious to you.

However, once you were married those times together became fewer and it became easier for other things and other people to crowd out time with your loved one. The fact of the matter is, every relationship declines and sometimes even dies without good two-way communication! Two way communication takes effort and planning!

Beloved Christian, this is not just some ritual that is designed to make you feel guilty if you are inconsistent. It’s a love relationship and the more you do it, the more you will look forward to it. It’s all about loving and being loved! Don’t make this into a religious ritual that just adds guilt to your Christian life! The Lord Jesus Christ wants to spend time with you! The Father wants to spend time with you! In fact Jesus told a Samaritan woman in John 4 that the Father is “seeking worshippers in spirit and truth”. John 4:23 Jesus walked many hot, dusty miles that day to talk to a poor Samaritan woman by a well. Can you imagine ? The God of the universe wants to spend time with you! Jesus promised that woman that He had “living water” to offer her and that if she would drink, she would never run out!

In every healthy relationship there is a two-way conversation. There is no mystery to it. The best way to get to know your Heavenly Father is to spend time alone with Him on a regular basis, preferably each day. He promises to quench your thirst, feed you, comfort you, direct you, bless you. What an offer!

In having a “quiet time” there are two parts. We both listen (read and meditate on His Word), and talk to Him in prayer. Great news! You can pray to Him any time of the day or night! Some people have broken this into an acronym: ACTS

A- Adoration, or worship
C-Confession of sins
T-Thanksgiving for your many blessings
S-Supplication, or praying for your needs and the needs of others.

You can do this in any order you wish but this is not a bad pattern to follow.

This is the part where you talk to God. In my next blog we’ll talk about listening as we read and apply His Word in our lives.

Love in our Living Savior from,

Pastor Terry