THE WONDER OF

GOD'S PRESENCE

# 1 The Quiet Time Series  (Part 2)

"The Most Important Thing You Will Do Today

Is Spend Time Alone With God."


 

The Quiet Time is a time you set aside each day to spend alone with God and is a most important factor in your spiritual maturity.    As we saw in our last Post, it is an amazing wonder that God actually longs for our friendship and fellowship and therefore it is vital that we cultivate this friendship.   Let’s take a look at why cultivation is so important and the real goal of the QT.


Cultivating The Wonder
Of course every friendship needs to be cultivated. God’s daily approach to His people requires daily response and a yielding of the will.    Your friendship with God needs to be cultivated every day.    He invites you to out with Him and spend time with Him.

Your friendship with God needs to be cultivated every day.

 The question is, "are we prepared to make the sacrifice of time in order that our love for Him may grow steadily to maturity?"    When we come before Him in the right spirit, every moment we spend is more than worth it.     Neglect everything else before you neglect to cultivate your friendship with God.

Neglect everything else before you neglect to cultivate your friendship with God.

 I am struck by the fact that even Jesus cultivated His friendship with the Father. He enjoyed spontaneous and unbroken communion with the Father and yet He constantly found it necessary, even in the midst His incredibly busy ministry schedule, to put aside definite times for prayer and quietness in order cultivate this friendship.
And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. (Mark 1:35)

When talking about the Quiet Time, the most common response is, "I don’t have time."    It’s not as though Jesus was not busy, yet He protected these times of intimacy with the Father. We too, in the business of life, must protect our Quiet Times with God.     It is in fact the most important thing you will do in the course of a day.


The Secret Of The Wonder
Jesus counted His times alone with the Father not only necessary but also as precious and joyful and hallowed times.    The Quiet Time is not only necessary but it is precious.     The reason it is precious is because it brings you right into the presence of God to enjoy His fellowship.     The real joy of the QT springs from the sense of His presence.     It is the Divine Presence that gives joy to the QT.

The real joy of the QT springs from the sense of His presence.  

It is the Divine Presence that gives joy to the QT.

 In order to experience and enjoy His presence, I have learned to ask myself several key questions.

Am I Coming Before Him Fully Aware That I Come Only Though The Blood Of Jesus?   The only right I have to come into God’s presence is the shed blood of Christ for my sins.     My enjoyment of God’s fellowship is based on my union with Christ.

Am I Coming In Faith That God Will Really Meet With Me?   Attitude is everything.    If I don’t expect to meet with God personally, I probably won’t.

Am I Coming To Commune With My Saviour, Or Simply To Bring My Shopping List?   The purpose of the QT is not to get stuff from God.    Stuff is so fleeting and will soon be gone. Stuff soon becomes the idol that steals your heart.    What you’re really after is the enjoyment of God’s presence.    In fact I believe that seeking God’s face and experiencing His presence is the secret of a successful, exciting QT.

The Quiet Time soon becomes barren if it becomes routine.
 

 The Quiet Time soon becomes barren if it becomes routine.    The object of the QT is to enter God’s presence to hear His voice and enjoy His presence.    When you focus on God Himself and experience His Divine Presence it is shear bliss that will strengthen you for your daily journey.

Yes, God longs for you to draw near to Him.    He longs for you to experience the depth of His love and mercy and joy of His presence.     He wants to bless you with al the riches of heaven. He wants to bless you with His presence.    May your heart long after Him.

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. (Psalm 42:1)

 

(In the next "Quiet Time Series" blog we’ll look at "How To Make The QT Work For You").