Day 4 | Habit of a Quiet Time
Matthew 6:5-6 (NLT) “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
OBSERVATION
Our scripture does not say IF, but instead WHEN. It’s not an IF I have a quiet time or IF I feel like praying and spending time in His presence, but instead a WHEN I have my quiet time and WHEN I spend time in His presence. Many teens like to say how long? How long should I spend in His presence every day or how long should I pray every day? To be real with you, there is no quota of time you must meet, but look at it like this… When someone is in love, they are constantly trying to find ways to spend time with the person they’re in love with. If it’s staying up late talking on the phone or changing their schedule, they will do whatever it takes. Do the same in your relationship with Him. Change your plans to spend even more time with Him. Set Him as the highest priority in your life and in your everyday routine. Remember, we don’t want “spiritual HYPE”, we want “spiritual HABITS” in our lives. Even when we don’t feel like it or see anything change or feel like we heard anything, continue with creating that spiritual habit. Don’t let unanswered prayer or a quiet time with God that “didn’t speak to you” cause you to become silently cynical. Stay in pursuit of His ways, His voice, and His answers to the place of prevailing. God may speak to us but in a way that isn’t always obvious to us... we must stay aware & persevere! Time spent in His presence is NEVER time waisted! When you spend time in a quiet place with Him you can be refreshed, receive direction, pray and meditate, build the fruit of The Spirit inside of you, and so much more! Your quiet time with Him is sacred and necessary to advance in the purpose He has for you.
APPLICATION
The best way to learn to have a quiet time with God is to have a quiet time with God! Schedule a 10-minute appointment with Jesus every day this week. The kicker? NO DISTRACTIONS!!! Put your phone away, turn the radio off, find a quiet room, do what you need to do to spend this quiet time with just you and Jesus. You should also take a journal with you in your quiet time. Write down what you are praying for, any scriptures that may jump in your spirit, or anything you hear God speak to you. Even if it’s just a peace that comes over you about a certain topic or situation, write it down. Writing down what you are praying for and hearing in your quiet time ensures that you are aware of just how often He answers your prayers and speaks to you. It also can motivate you to keep going, because the more you seek, the more you will find. (Matthew 7:7-8)
PRAYER
Dear God, help me to become so in love with you that I can’t help but want to spend time in your presence and in a quite place with you. Help me hear your voice and come to you with a pure heart. Help me be motivated to create the spiritual habits in my life that will help me accomplish all that you have created me to do. I yearn for more of your presence and for you to reveal yourself to me in our quiet time. Thank you, Jesus, for loving me so much that you want me to spend time in a sacred, quite place with you. I pray all these things in your mighty name, Jesus. Amen.