Feed the Fire!

Ps 119:105 says God’s Word is a light for our paths. I made the mistake of assuming the light was something God provided—I just walked along, taking advantage of it.

I missed the “God’s Word” part.

God’s Word can’t light my path by osmosis. What happens to a campfire if no one adds a log or some twigs to it? What happens to your gas stove if the gas is shut off? What happens to God’s light in our lives if it’s never fed?



We have to read it, learn it, and apply it. Spend time in it.

That’s the problem, isn’t it? Time: We all run out of it. We all need more of it

I’ve always struggled to have a consistent time set aside for God. I’ve struggled having any time at all!

 My days are so random, how can I ever have a set time?

        I only managed to sit with God three times this week. Why can’t I do better?

Every year I say, “I’m going to read through the Bible this year.” So I start in Genesis—I’ve read Genesis so many times I can quote it. I get bogged down and bored and quit. Do I always have to start at the beginning?

         How can I get my mind to slow down and to be still so I can hear God’s small, still voice?

Over the years, I’ve learned lots of lessons about how to build the discipline of a quiet time. Most important, I’ve learned that this time is so much more than discipline. It’s building a friendship with my Father. It’s finding joy and resting in Him.

Over the next few posts, I’ll share some of the lessons God’s taught me along the way. I pray they will light a spark within you to get to know your Father.

But first, I need some input from you...

Do you desire to spend time with God? What obstacles stand in your way?

When you do spend time with Him, what blessings do you receive?

Sunrist...Sunset

Sunrise…Sunset

             Sunrise…Sunset

Wasn’t that a song? Oh. I remember. It was a song from Fiddler on the Roof. How many of you are too young to remember that movie?

 Sunrise: the start of a new day. Light floods the earth almost instantly. One minute, it’s diffuse and grey, the next it’s bright and the air’s charged with energy.

 

 Sunset: the end of the day. Light seems to slowly soften. The sky fills with purple and orange and silver. You can almost hear the world sigh as it winds down. 

I’m a sunrise kinda girl. When my feet hit the floor in the morning, my mind's already swirling with things I need to do. After the necessary pit-stop, I set to unloading the dishwasher, tidying up the house, starting laundry…

Jann, my sister and our famous Giggles author (check out the Giggles link above if you don’t know what I’m talking about), is just the opposite. She’s a night person. Sunrise comes and she groans. She’d rather bury under the covers. But, at sunset, she perks up and she’s ready to hit the day. About the time I’m collapsing, she’s charging up.

What about God? Well, He’s a sunrise to sunset, and all the hours in between, kinda God. Always awake, always alert. Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, He’s on the go. Keeping the universe in order, maintaining the earth’s orbit, giving rain over here and sunshine over there, performing a miracle here and there, and answering a few billion prayers. No naps, no vacations.


But, back to me and Jann. We both want to spend time with God. We both like to start our days with Him. But there’s a little problem: I can’t sit still; she can’t stay awake.

My mind’s a-flittering—I’ll put my Bible down, it will only take a minute to water the plants, or feed the dog, or mail that bill. Then I'll come back.

Jann’s stifling a yawn and fluffing her pillow. She’ll just close her eyes for a minute and “pray.”

The truth is, whether we have time with our Father at sunrise, at sunset, or any time in between, our problem is discipline. We have God’s full attention, we struggle to give Him ours.

Does God care if we meet with Him at sunrise or at sunset? No, He’s always there. For us, it’s always hard, always a sacrifice.

Am I willing to set aside the busyness for a few minutes and focus on Him?
Is Jann willing to set aside her desire for a little more sleep and be alert to His voice?

What about you? Sunrise…Sunset. Whenever time it is, if we sacrifice our wants and chose to spend time with Him, He’ll flood our lives with His light—a light that doesn’t rise or set, it’s 24/7.

What are your struggles as you try to spend time with God?
Encourage us by letting us know how you are able to focus on Him.