Quit Time
Have you given up having a quiet time with the Lord? Talk to a mentor who will walk along side you.
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“(Jesus) withdrew to a region near the wilderness…where he stayed with his disciples” (John 11:54).
It was an unintended typographical error with unexpected meaning. In describing a daily period of prayer and Bible reading, the author meant to type “quiet time,” but a crucial letter in the first word was omitted. Quiet Time became Quit Time.
In our sound and activity-infested world, how often our moments with God become only another project on the day’s list, something to “check off” when completed. Into what should be hallowed space and time, we bring scattered thoughts, our personal directory of prayer requests, and the scheduled reading of chapters and verses. Instead of quitting the world around us (and thus becoming quiet), we have merely increased the activity, and perhaps given ourselves a false sense of having truly been with Jesus.
When opposition to His life and ministry was taking on the visible dimension of death, Jesus followed a well-established pattern: he withdrew from the chaos. He retreated into a place where He could be with His friends and sense the presence of His Father. Instead of facing his accusers before the appointed time, he quit. And became quiet.
Becoming quiet is not easy. It takes practice and discipline to repeatedly bow before the Lord. Thoughts of the day’s schedule creep—and sometimes barge—into the space where we are meeting with God. One friend said that instead of seeing such scattered thoughts as enemies (or evidence of spiritual immaturity), she allows them into her mind and lays them before God as prayer thoughts. Laundry is on the list? Thank God for the supply of soap and hot water and pray for those who have no water at all. The question of what shall be prepared for supper becomes gratitude for daily bread and petition for children who have no food.
With our practice and God’s grace, we find ourselves quitting our busy world and becoming quiet in His presence.
Lord, I desperately need to consistently quit the hectic schedule of my life and enter into your quietness. Thank you for your Holy Spirit who takes my weak desire and puny actions and transforms them into gifts to lay at your feet.
Questions: What is quiet time like for you? How does your quiet time affect the rest of your day? How could you be more creative in being more disciplined with your time with the Lord?
About the Author Marilyn Ehle
Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, Not Hard at All, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog
6 Responses to “Quit Time”
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Marilyn E., thank you for the devotional. I found the suggestion of the daily tasks barging in and turning them into prayer thoughts quite helpful. with each start of each day I am blessed to have at least a few hours of ‘our’ time, quiet time. then once the rest of the world wakes up, the quiet is no longer. the day does go by and by evening I am quite content to try and capture that quiet once more. since joining this site I have found that evenings work well as I can be fulfilled once more with encouragement from all the sisters here.
i don’t get much quiet time most of it is when i am reading the devotionals here
And…. when stringing our beads of daily activities we should not only start our day with a knot of devotion, but also end it with a knot of prayer. I find mornings help me to start my day in His presence and get my mind and heart focused on Him, but the evenings are a wonderful time to reflect on the day’s events and repent on and learn while everything is still fresh in my memory.
Thank you for this wonderful devotion.
I love this one! I do set aside time to pray in the mornings but too often there are thoughts of the day in my head too. I love the idea of turning these to prayers as well. There is so much to thank God for and by this so many ways to see His love. God bless you for being here every morning to help me start my day with a good knot of devotion!
Thanks. I need this reminder. A friend once told me what he had learned, that to “Be still and know that I am God” meant to take a vacation from being God. I need that vacation every day. I need to quit thinking that I have things under control and rely on Him for every need, and to stop neglecting to pray for others that are in and out of my path.
Marilyn, what a great devotional you have submitted again. I have just posted a short devotional of Spurgeon on the Spiritual Journey of ‘the Discussion Board of CWT on the importance of quiet time but because not all visits there, may I post it here too because it is such a short but important meditation to keep in mind.
PSALM 5:3
MY VOICE SHALT THOU HEAR IN THE MORNING, O LORD; IN THE MORNING WILL I DIRECT MY PRAYER UNTO THEE AND WILL LOOK UP.
Our Mornings………
The morning is the gate of the day, and should be well guarded with prayer. It is one end of the thread on which the day’s actions are strung, and should be well knotted with devotion. If we felt more the majesty of life we should be more careful of the mornings.
He who rushes from his bed to his business and waits not to worship is as foolish as though he had not put on his clothes, or cleansed his face, and as unwise as though he dashed into battle without arms or armor. Be it ours to bathe in the softly flowing river of communion with GOD, before the heat of the wilderness and the burden of the way begin to oppress us.
(Spurgeon)
Romel H