Mark 1:35 (NIV)
35 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.
Godly people make a habit of spending time with God.
David said he cried out to God “morning, noon, and night,” as we see in Psalms 55:
Psalm 55:17 (NIV)
17 Evening, morning and noon
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.
Daniel prayed three times a day according to the book of Daniel:
Daniel 6:10 (NIV)
10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
Jesus, Himself, made a regular habit of getting up early to be alone with God. A quick study of solid, influential Christian leaders reveals a common denominator among them of spending time with God daily in prayer and reading His Word.
We were created to have a relationship with God. We can’t be healthy, growing Christians without spending consistent, focused time with Him. That relationship grows stronger and closer through reading the Bible, spending time in prayer, and listening to the Holy Spirit’s prompting.
Stephen Olford, who was a 20th century Christian leader and who Billy Graham said had the most influence on his own ministry once said, “I want to hear the voice of God before I hear anyone else’s in the morning and His voice is the last voice I want to hear at night.” I think if that was true for all of us, there would be a great sense of comfort from that.
As we practice a daily devotional time, we’ll discover some amazing benefits. We’ll experience God’s joy. The most joyful Christians are those who meet one-on-one with God each day. We’ll rest in God’s strength, and our spiritual batteries will be charged. We’ll discover the peace of God that comes from having peace with God. Spending time with God helps us to relinquish our worries and concerns to His control. Spending time with God helps us to conquer sin in our lives. As we abide in Him each day, we learn to trust Him more and to align our prayers with His will. As we become more like Christ, our words and actions will reflect His love and draw others to Him.
In my own life, I have seen tremendous growth in my relationship with God by having the discipline to spend time with him each day. I live my life with a greater peace and confidence than I had ever known before and I know that is coming from His influence. I am able to love others in a way I could not have done in the past before having that relationship with God.
I have two questions I want to ask you:
Why did Jesus need to spend time alone with God?
What do you need to do in order to consistently spend a daily devotional time with God?
I would like to challenge each of us to take some time each day to spend with God. It doesn’t have to be a long amount of time, but try to get time in each and every day. If you can do that, it will transform your life. I promise.
Lord, help us to make spending time with You each day a priority in our lives. Amen.
