Finding space for quality time with God
If you’re anything like me, finding space for quality time with God is not easy. Having said that, I should probably admit that it more to do with making space for quality time with God. I know that my life is enriched when I set aside decent time to be in God’s presence, pray, study the Bible, meditate, and worship and yet I know that I still don’t make nearly as much room for this as I should.
Why is this so difficult? Certainly life is busy. There is work to go to. There are church activities going on throughout the week. There’s friends to catch up with, family to visit and a hundred and one other things that vie for our time. And I haven’t even mentioned the television which acounts for more of our time than most of us like to admit. So having said all of that, we probably do have to face up to the reality that whilst we would say that spiritual disciplines are important, we don’t actually believe it. Not in any practical sense at least. We know it theoretically but not experientially.
We probably need to remember that the spiritual disciples are just that: disciplines. They will involved hard work and commitment. Yes there are abounding rewards, but to receive those rewards will require us to commit to the disciplines even when it feels totally unrewarding. If we were to ask any athlete they would say the most of the time it is simply hardwork. But when they win their Olympic race, the hardwork become a distant memory when compared to the joy of victory. I thinks its the same with spiritual disciplines. A lot of the time it will be hardwork. But then there will moments where we enjoy God’s presence in such a tangible manner that the hardwork is forgotten. We will experience a moment of intimacy with God that leaves us overwhelmed.
