Q: Some say it is best to have your devotional
time first thing in the morning—that you’re
somehow more blessed if you do. Why is that?
A: Many believers have discovered the importance of
incorporating devotions or quiet time into their daily
lives. They make a point to set aside a specific time
each day for personal Bible study, worship, and prayer.
It’s a wonderful way to connect with God—to develop
and strengthen our relationship with him. Attending
church services, Sunday school classes, and group Bible
studies can help, too. But there’s something very special
about the time we spend one-on-one with God. During
his earthly ministry, Jesus himself often slipped away
from the crowds to spend time alone with his Father—
sometimes early in the morning, sometimes late at night
(Mark 1:35, Luke 6:12).
With all of our responsibilities, commitments, and
obligations, it can be a real challenge for any of us to
find a “quiet” time these days. For some, the simplest
way is to get up a little earlier in the morning. Some find
it easier to squeeze in a few minutes during the lunch
hour or their toddler’s naptime. Others say they can
relax and concentrate better in the evening.
The Bible doesn’t specify any particularly beneficial
time of day for us to commune with God. Ultimately, our
goal is to be in constant communion with him day and
night (Deut. 6:6–8, 1 Thess. 5:16–18).
So why do some believers insist that morning devotions
are best? Perhaps because, like many of us, they’ve
discovered that if you put it off until later in the day
you may never get to it. Life continually throws all
kinds of interruptions and distractions our way. Having
our devotional time first thing is a way of making a
statement about our priorities. There is a very real
benefit to beginning with a strong spiritual focus,
committing our day to God before it’s begun. It gives
us a sense of purpose. It prepares us to take advantage
of divine appointments and strengthens us in advance
of the trials and temptations we may face.
But if evening is truly the best time for you, by all
means have your quiet time then. The most important
thing is that you do it! However, you might consider
taking five minutes in the morning to review what you
studied the night before. Read a brief devotional or
choose a few Scriptures to meditate on throughout the
day. Then, with your focus firmly in place, you’ll be
ready for whatever comes your way.
by Christin Ditchfield
Prepare
What time of day do you think is ideal for quiet
time? Why?
Is your ideal time realistic considering your
schedule? If not, what other time is best for you?
How will you set that time apart to be with God?
I really prefer to wake early and spend the first part of my day talking to God and studying His word. It is hard to make it out of bed some mornings, but it is always a blessing! I love to have a few quiet moments of just me and the Lord, before I'm in mommy-mode! I look forward to the quiet of those moments! When I let myself get off track, sleep in, and fall out of the habit of early morning devotions, life does get harder!
ReplyDeleteThis is the hardest area for me spiritually period. I am not a morning person and already have to set the alarm for 6am to make sure one of my big kids is up for her bus. I physically cannot get up earlier than that on a regular basis because I don't go to bed until midnight most nights since between 10pm and midnight is when I prepare for the next day and spend a few moments alone with my husband.
ReplyDeleteI have tried to be faithful with devotions in the early afternoon but now my 3 year old isn't napping anymore so we're struggling with "quiet time" for both of us so I can get some bible time in.
I pray on and off all day long as I think of things just like I pick up the phone and call my husband when I think of things to tell him. But SITTING down, quietly, and completely focusing on God is where I totally struggle.
If anyone else has dealt with this, I'd love to know how you resolved it. I don't want it to become a "chore" but an act of love....
Well Justina... you and I are totally in the same boat. I've put alot of time into this pursuit of a daily devotional. For years I struggled, failed, felt guilty, tried again... over and over the cycle repeated itself. Then, a couple of years ago God really began to work with me on what a daily devotional might mean for me. As Christians, I think we try very hard to put Christianity into a box. Daily devotionals seem to hit our check list. If we pray for 15 minutes, jot down our thoughts in a prayer journal, read the Bible another 15 minutes and wrap up with a quiet time meant so we can hear from God, we can check off the “devotion time” box. And, if we don’t do that? Well… here comes the guilt. And, I either make new promises again… or want to jump off the bandwagon altogether.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yet, something deep in the core of mean knows that it is very important to spend time with my Daddy. I want my daily devotional to be just that… and act of utter devotion. But, for me, that takes many different forms throughout the week or even day! Some days, I pop in my praise and worship CD and clean the house all the while not really paying attention to the dust because I am focused on Him. I can recall many a times when He’s revealed His love for me and found myself flat on my face in the living room worshiping… devoting my world again to Him. Most days you find me in the shower praying and catching up with Him on all the latest and greatest from earlier in the day. Since I am notorious for taking long showers I really do consider this my alone time. And, there are other days when I sit at the breakfast table before my boys are awake and read His word over a cup of coffee. Just recently, I added this blog to my repertoire of ways to connect with Him.
Sometimes, just like when you worship God in a church service, there are days when you just flat don’t feel like doing any of that. But, my husband once told me that those are the days when you need to take a step of faith and do one of those things anyway. It’s because Christ loves ME that I am able to commune with Him… not because I now FEEL like showing Him some devotion. So… just like in a worship service, I lift my hands (or say a prayer) knowing that as I take that first step He will come rushing from the throne of heaven to spend that moment with me.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’ve never found a “formula” that works for me. I do all sorts of things to connect with my Daddy, but I don’t follow a set routine. It flows spontaneously from my spirit because I WANT to fellowship with Him. On the days when the world has surrounded me, those are the days I step out in faith and do SOMETHING anyway. I don’t do it just in the morning, or mostly at night… I don’t even feel that I try to squeeze Him in between the other minutes of my day. When my real dad calls to chat, or I feel an urge to chat with him, I just stop what I’m doing and get with him. When it’s been a couple of days and I haven’t heard from him I WANT to know what’s going on so I give him a call. I do the same with my Heavenly Dad. I try to reach out to Him daily, showing Him my devotion, my love for Him, my reliance on Him, all throughout the day. I also feel Him reaching for me, filling me with strength, purpose, grace… and that ever elusive patience!
I don’t know if that helps you… but once I accepted that this was how I was created to show my devotion to God I felt a freedom in worshipping and building a relationship with Him that I’ve never had. But, this is something God and I have worked through… are still tweaking. But, don’t go trying to put Him into a box again trying to duplicate what I’ve done to have the same experience. My best advise? Get before God and ask Him how He created you to worship and commune with Him. You may be very surprised at His answer!