BEING QUIET BEFORE GOD

“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.” Psalm 3:7

Daily devotion with God is essential to spiritual growth and maintaining an intimate relationship with Him. When we worship or pray we fill up that time with words. We have to be quiet and listen for the voice of God. We live in a world that is too busy and loud. It is difficult to think for all the interruptions.

Our daily transformation will hinge upon a daily devotion time with God. This is often referred to as a "Quiet time." The quiet time helps us get connected with God. If we want to walk daily with Him, we will have to be having regular quiet times. Being quiet before the Lord is a part of prayer that is often overlooked.

Why is it so hard for us to be quiet before the Lord? Because we can’t sit still long enough to allow God the time to speak. We have our quick five minute prayer and off we go, on to the next thing. We don’t have time to be quiet and listen to God. We’re reluctant to be quiet because it’s a foreign concept to us. It’s not what we’re used to. We’re used to noise we’ve become accustomed to chaos.

We resist giving God the opportunity to speak. But, why? Have you ever been around someone who likes to do all the talking? People do this either as a diversion tactic or a control method. When they can control the conversation, they can avoid any difficult questions from being asked or they can avert a situation where they will be challenged. Is that how we are with God? Maybe we want to do all the talking because if we allow God to speak then we will have to deal with what He reveals.

You can find many websites that provide daily nuggets of spiritual truth and encouragement, but in addition to these, you can also develop your own quiet time with God. Often times Christians are unsure of how to incorporate daily devotion into their life. The following are some suggestions to creating an effective quiet time with God, thus enhancing your daily devotional time with Him.

Make space for God, James 4:8 declares, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." Your desire in wanting a daily devotional time with God is the first step in making space for God. Too often we can be pre-occupied with the necessities and urgencies of life and neglect to spend quality time with God. Going to church is good, but it cannot replace the one-on-one time in fellowship with Jesus. In making space for God, you make time for just you and God. Whether it is in the morning or evening, you make an effort to spend quiet time with Him as often as possible. Jesus said that we will find Him when we seek Him with all of our hearts.

Prepare your heart. Have you ever went into a meeting or were talking with a friend but your thoughts were somewhere else? You were there in body, but your mind could have been on another planet. This can happen during your daily devotions with God as well. You enter your pray room all ready to fellowship with God, but instead you think about all the activities you need to complete during the coming day. Preparing your heart before God means clearing your heart and mind of everything that interferes with you giving your full attention to Him. Jesus said that when we "seek first the kingdom of God" everything we need will be added unto us. Therefore, giving our full attention to God is really an insurance policy that all things will work out for our good.

Quieting our heart before God is necessary because it is in such a calm and restful state that the life of faith can strike deep roots, that God can give His blessed teaching and accomplish His glorious purposes. Too often our restless mind and thoughts get in the way of hearing the voice of the Spirit. It is a soul silent before God that is the best preparation for knowing Jesus, and for holding fast the blessings He gives. It is when the soul is silent in worship before His presence that the voice of the Spirit will be heard.

Meditating on the Lord is a good way to quiet our mind and soul. For many Christians, red flags go up when they hear the word meditation, however, meditating on God just means shutting out all other thoughts, ideas, worries, and concerns so that your full attention is on Christ. Joshua 1:8 tells us to meditate on God day and night so that we will have good success in life. There are also many ways to meditate on God. Some believers meditate on the word of God allowing a word or phrase to penetrate their heart. Others just enjoy abiding in God's presence and letting go of all mental distractions that come to take their attention away from God. The Bible says "in God's presence is fullness of joy."

Spiritual journaling is another practice that will enhance your daily devotions. Journaling comes in many forms, but basically it is God's love letters to you and your love letters to God. Through journaling you can record your inspirations and messages that God gives to you during your devotional time or throughout the day. It also allows you to share your heart with God and give your troubles and worries to Him in a tangible way. It is in essence your written spiritual journey with God.