Quiet Time
By Luann Prater
“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." Mark
Devotion:
I was on my way to work when an ambulance raced past me. The road was a two lane highway, so it startled me to see it blow by. Soon I heard several sirens and saw the brake lights tapping on the car in front of me. A sheriff was at the crossroads ahead detouring everyone into the country. He told us the road would be shut down for quite some time because of the terrible wreck ahead. My stomach knotted.
Later that morning, the phone rang; my colleague answered and said, “No! Don’t tell me that!” Norma was traveling with a group of teenagers from her church on their way to camp when a driver fell asleep, crossed the center line and hit them head on. Norma didn’t make it. Everyone said she was a fine Christian woman and only 60 years old. The papers said she had just returned from a mission trip with the teens 3 weeks earlier and was always ready to help those in need.
That night I couldn’t stop thinking about Norma. I didn’t know her, but her life made a final impact on mine. I wonder how she spent her last morning? People that barely knew her gave witness that she was a godly lady. So how did they know that? In Exodus 34:29 the Bible gives us a clue. It reads: “When Moses came down from
Norma must have spent quiet time with the Lord because she was radiant with God’s love. It is not something you can fake. It is not something you can imitate. There is only one way to illuminate God to others, spend time with him. That doesn’t mean feverishly working on programs at church, or feeding the poor, or volunteering for one more project. All of those things are necessary and God uses them as tools to shape and mold us, but before we can give his love to others…we must get alone with God.
Sometimes it is hard to get away from the noise and the clutter of everyday life. We mean to make time, but it seems the clock won’t cooperate. Like the key verse says, often we don’t even take the time to eat. Can you find a quiet place: In the waiting room at a doctor’s office? Stopped in a traffic jam? In the morning before anyone else is up? On a plane? Taking a walk? Watching your children play? On a coffee break? Turning off the TV? James 4:8 tells us, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Last year we started a new tradition. We gave everyone in our family the same devotional book. On any given day we know that our family may be reading the same passage from God. There is something unifying about that. This year I plan to give out P31’s new devotional book.
There is no doubt about it…Norma radiated God’s love to others because she spent time with Him. The Great Healer has written a prescription for your hurried life and weary soul: Quiet time with Him, everyday.
Dear Lord, you know the pace we keep. Teach us to utilize unsuspecting moments in quiet time with you. Give us the desire to come near to you. May our lives reflect your radiance. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
God’s Purpose for Every Woman: a P31 Women’s Devotional Editors Lysa TerKeurst and Rachel Olsen
Application Steps:
Set your alarm 15 minutes earlier and GET UP! Read a passage and talk to the Lord before your hectic life begins.
Reflections:
What robs your time?
How can you find quiet moments throughout your day?
Who can hold you accountable in this walk of quiet time?
Power Verses:
Hebrews 10:22, “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith…” (NIV)
Matthew 4:4, “Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (NIV)
Mark
Proverbs 31 Ministries
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