When it comes to distractions, I think I’m the queen! I have three children and every time I have sat down to try and work on these devotions, my children have needed something or the phone has rang or…hold on…there was one again! It seems almost impossible to get uninterrupted time with God these days. On those days it seems that I just let it slide. I decide too much has gone on and decide to not even try to have quiet time. This is exactly what Satan is hoping I will do! We need to not give up!

Any relationship that you have requires time to grow. I recently moved to St. Louis and I have found that I won’t get close to people if I don’t spend time with them. Our relationship with God is the same way: the more time we spend with Him, the closer we become. There is a story that I have always enjoyed that demonstrates this. The story starts with a man sitting alone at a restaurant and He’s waiting for someone. He waits and waits and converses with the waitress that He continues to wait because the girl he’s waiting for needs him and he loves her. She never shows and the story switches to a girl getting ready for bed. Next to her alarm clock is a note that says, “7 o’clock, Spend time with God.” Oh darn, she thinks, I forgot again. Oh well, I need to get my rest, I’ll try again tomorrow, He’ll be there tomorrow.

She’s right. He will always be there. No matter if we take time to be with Him today or not, He will always be there. He desires that we come be with Him too. He’s there to love us and build us up and strengthen us to live out His will here on earth.

We need that time with God to grow, to thrive. Jesus even had to get away sometimes to have quiet time. Mark 1:35 tells us, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” It’s not always possible to get away like that, but it may be possible to create a place in our home that is solely for our time with God. Try and carve out a time to spend there, maybe during nap time, or after children are in bed. If you are working full time in a church, daily quiet time is an important part of your ministry and needs to be worked into your day at work. If you work somewhere else, maybe a break time would be a good opportunity for some quiet time. 

Dear Heavenly Father, Send your spirit to encourage us to never give up on that time with you. Help us to carve out time to spend with you each day so that we may grow closer to you. Thank you Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.