Quiet Time

I think quiet time is the one time of the day I look forward to, however when that time arrives, I can't seem to keep quiet. Why do you think that is? There are times during the day when I just can't wait for that time in the evening when the baby goes to bed and I can just pour my heart out to the Lord. Then when it comes, I find myself watching TV or playing computer games. Why can't I sit still? A few months ago I caught sight of an article online where Pope Benedict spoke about prayer. He talks about how we are always busy, rushing to do the next thing. He says he fears we don't even know how to be quiet anymore. Just the other day I was listening to Ravi Zecherias talk about this culture we live in. He mentioned how stay-at-home mom's keep the TV on in the background all day and how joggers need to have earphones on when they are running. He fears that we don't know how to be quiet anymore. Jim Cymbala, pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle fears that many, many churches today have lost touch with prayer and when there is prayer, there is too much structure and order, not allowing us to freely move with the Holy Spirit. According to Jim Cymbala, prayer is one of the foundations of our faith. It is our avenue to communicate with God, the thing that many of us do less and less. Perhaps I'm only speaking for myself.

How many times have you gone to church and prayed a simple prayer with the congregation and a few seconds/minutes later, the pastor/minister/priest was ready to move on to what's next on the agenda? And how often were you not ready to move on to what was next on the agenda and keep moving in that prayer? Maybe it's never happened to you, but it has happened to me way too much.

For me personally, it is really, really hard for me to sit down before the Lord and just be quiet. There are so many distractions and my mind goes a mile a minute. Thought after thought consumes my mind, and I'm afraid I'm one of those who almost doesn't know how to be quiet. I've used many people as a crutch in my prayer life. It's easy for me to say, well, I forgot, but I'm sure someone else prayed for me.

The thing of it is, I know better. There have been times where I've decided I'm going to give some time to the Lord. I'll tell you what, those times my heart was really into it, I walked away feeling refreshed, like I had the strength to battle the day. I experienced peace and joy because I spent time with my Lord and Savior. Then I fall back into that awful trap of distraction and temptation, and it's weeks before I come back to that place again. And when I do, I realized what I missed over those weeks. Yet, I keep returning to the vicious cycle.

I believe God wants so badly to be in open communication, but how can we when we're just too busy for God and can't even give Him the time of day. Sometimes I think we are tempted by the world to focus on everything but God. We are distracted by television, media, work, computers, children's activities, IPODs, and much, much more. Somehow, without even realizing it, those things become more important. Or we're much too tired to pray, so we distract ourselves with the things that won't make us think.

I sometimes feel lost in the mix. I feel like I can't even think for myself because I haven't given that quiet time to God. I'm terrible at making decisions. I'm not confident in my decisions even once I make them. I always wonder if I'm doing the right thing and it's all because I haven't given that quiet time to God.

How do you fix it? Well, I do know that God knows where I am and He knows exactly what I need. All I need to do is give that quiet time to God and soon hope that the Lord will change that in me. Ravi talked about the distractions in this world. He is married with kids and has wrestled with not having enough time to do it all. He found that in the end his kids suffered because he was just too tired by the end of the day. What he realized is that he needed to decide what was most important in his life and make time for those things. In my mind, quiet time with God should be a priority. It sets the foundation, the standard for the rest of our living. Do you agree?

Why are churches falling apart? One reason is, leaders of the church aren't leading their congregations into deep heart-felt prayer. People are making decisions without seeking God in deep heart-felt prayer. We aren't being taught to pray. In fact, I think in some cases we are being taught everything but.

Those of you who are in my shoes, make a decision. Spend some quiet time with God with me. Share your experiences with me and I will share with you. I'm anxious to see what God has in store. Find those moments in the day and give your heart to God. Turn off your television, computer, cell phones, and anything else that might distract you and be with the one who created you!