2004-07-29 - Favorite Rooms

Originally Published 2000-01-13

Matt 14:22-23 And after He had sent the multitudes away, He went up to the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. (NAS)

What is your quiet time like? Do you have one? If so, it is consistent with some sort of schedule, or is it a little more catch as catch can? If not, do you pray daily, weekly, or rarely?

I'm not going to give you a five-step program to a perfect prayer life. My own prayer life is not perfect and won't be until I see my Savior face to face. But that does not mean that I want to settle for whatever happens. Jesus placed a priority on prayer. He spent time in prayer, making it a priority over sleep at times. What do we make time for? We make time for the people and things that are important to us. Little things press in on us and steal our time while the important things - like family and prayer - can go begging for time.

There are physical needs - food, clothing, shelter and rest. There are mental needs - time to think, learn and share. Then there are spiritual needs - the food of the Word, learning more about Jesus, and meditating on what God has placed on our hearts.

Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. (NAS)

Just as the person who does not know Jesus as Savior learns about faith, and is sparked to faith by the word of Christ, we who believe are built up and strengthened in the same way. Do you notice after you have spent time with a friend how much better you feel just for having shared that time? Spend time with your friends talking about what is going on in your lives and what God is doing there. It is an encouragement to the one sharing and the friend listening.

Most of us have a favorite place: a comfortable chair, a quiet, sunny room or a park or trail or beach. We have favorite books or authors that inspire us. We have close friends that we can share our troubles and our joys with, knowing we will be accepted either way. What do they all have in common? We spend time there, in those places and with those friends. Some people think that a quiet time is either a long, drawn out and difficult process or an uncomfortable time alone where nothing seems to fill the seconds. Jesus Christ wants to be your closest friend. He died to open the way to Heaven so you and I could spend eternity with Him. But there is a foretaste of that time - like a deposit placed on a loan it is the promise of more to come.

Learning to spend time and converse in prayer with Jesus is something that takes a little time to get familiar with. Start with three minutes. Set a timer so you don't have to keep looking at your watch. At first, the seconds may drag by, but anything worthwhile is worth a little effort. After a day or two, you may be surprised at how much easier the time is to spend. After a week, three minutes will be comfortable. And in two weeks, five minutes will be a time you look forward to each day. Share that favorite room, or chair with Jesus. It will become a room with a view to eternity.

Grace & Peace,
Mike

jmhoskins@gmail.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org