Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. – Mark 1:35
“I feel distant from God.” “I feel defeated.” “I feel helpless to resist temptation.” “I feel spiritually weak, empty.” “I lack direction in life. I have no purpose.” “I’m so depressed, so discouraged.” “I feel hopeless.” Have you ever felt in any or all of these ways? I have come to believe over the decades of being a Christian and pastor that as Christians we often leave a lot on the table in our walk with the Lord. We press on and endure but we do so drudgingly. Victorious Christian living and abundant life in Christ remain just beyond our grasp. We feel like Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress trudging through swamps with a heavy burden on our back. We drudge up mountains that seem never-ending. If any of this describes you, I would like to share a most helpful holy habit that could get you up and over the hump in your life.
If the Jesus, the Son of God, the Son of Man, Immanuel – God in the flesh “departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed,” so should we. Jesus started His day “a long while before daylight.” He “departed to a solitary place.” There “He prayed.” Jesus is our model and pattern. He said, “/For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15). He said that when washing the disciples’ feet. But a healthy and holy walk with Jesus means to walk as He walks and follow His steps by imitating His life patterns and actions (1 Peter 2:21 and 1 John 2:6).
The idea of personal time with God or a daily devotional time where we renew and confirm our continued devotion to God is seen throughout the Bible. Enoch waked with God ((Genesis 5:18-24). The Patriarchs all had there Peniel, or places where they met with God (e.g. Genesis 32:30). David laid out his requests before God in the morning (Psalm 5:3). The psalmist of Psalm 119 rose before dawn to meditate on God’s word (Psalm 119:147-148). The prophets received words from the Lord through personal times with the Lord. Good kings were good in large part by what happened to them in their times spent with the LORD.
When we get to the New Testament we are introduced to John the Baptist who found his calling in the wilderness where he no doubt had met regularly with God. When Jesus comes on the scene He chose His disciples after a night of prayer (Luke 6:12-16). And as those disciples walked with Jesus the thing they were most impressed with was His devotional life. They didn’t ask Jesus how to perform miracles or how to teach or even how to walk on water, they asked Jesus, “teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1-13). Jesus instructed them on how to pray by giving them what we have come to refer to as “The Our Father.”
The “Our Father” is not something to be mindlessly recited. The “Our Father” is not a magical incantation to secure whatever we want. The “Our Father” is an outline for our prayers. But the reality is, the only way to learn what praying is and to grow in our prayer life, is to pray, is to have a devotional time, a quiet one on one time with the Lord on a regular basis.
But being the frail fallen humans that we are, we have difficulty spending regular consistent quiet times with the Lord. Why is that? Well, we are busy. We are tired. We are distracted. We are bludgeoned and dulled by the circumstances of life, and so weak and weary we come up short of spending tie with our Savior. We get caught up in the labor of life and forget the love of Jesus. How can we establish a devotional time with the Lord or get back on track with one? How can we rekindle the flame of spirituality? How can we strengthen broken bent over reeds of our spiritual bones? Let me offer some suggestions to fan the flame in of your spiritual furnace or mend broken limbs hanging on by a thread.
Be aware of spiritual warfare. Ever struggle with your devotional time with the Lord? You just can’t get up in the morning and you’re too tired at night to meet with the Lord? Well, that is not uncommon. I believe it’s spiritual warfare. All Christians experience it, but not all are aware of it. For instance, why do our eyes get heavy, and a yawn comes when we purpose to pray? I think that could be spiritual warfare. Why does the phone ring or some other “important“ distraction just happen to come when we are trying to spend time with the Lord? The devil and his minions have their tricks. How can we defend ourselves against such spiritual attacks? You have to put your spiritual armor on. That armor is listed in scripture as follows:
Ephesians 6:10–20 (NKJV) – 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
I’m not going to give a lengthy exposition on this passage here. I only cite it to show you first, that God has provided powerful weapons to fight the good fight in this spiritual war. And second, to see that it is through prayer that you put your weapons on. Now let me ask you a simple question, would you rather fight someone who is weak, blind, weaponless, and has given up any means to resist you, or would you rather go up against a strong, vibrant spiritual warrior armed to the teeth and eager to fight? The first example no doubt would be preferred. Well, that is what the devil prefers too in our spiritual war. And that is why He does everything He can to keep you from time with the Lord and prayer, because if he succeeds in that, he will face a naked defenseless weakling with no warrior spirit.
Your devotional or quiet alone time with God is not optional, it is essential. It is not just one other “something” to do on your daily calendar of to-dos, it should be your very top priority each and every day. Whether you spend time with Jesus each day determines the outcome of your day. If you miss a devotional time with the Lord a day, or two, or three, you may still, by the grace of God, have “good” days. But eventually that will catch up with you. Without spending time with the Lord you have no marching orders, you have no clue of the daily details and warnings that God has for you to prevent defeat and to help you be ready for what the enemy has planned. Like a police officer who attends roll call before going out on their daily shift, God in our devotional time warns us of dangers to look out for, informs us of suspect situations to watch for, criminals to apprehend, as well as people who may need our assistance. Our devotional times with the Lord prepare us for the day ahead. Our devotional times are where we suit up with our weaponry and what will be needed to have a victorious God glorifying day.
Don’t forget the cross of Christ. The cross of Jesus is central to all we are and all we do as Christians. At least it should be. God forgave all sin in the Old Testament by passing over it in those who put their faith in Him (e.g., Genesis 15:6). But the reason God could justly forgive sins in the Old Testament was that He foreknew that His Son Jesus would go to the cross in the transitional gospels. That Jesus rose from the dead is evidence that Jesus single sacrificial substitutionary atoning death on the cross was completely satisfying to God’s just forgiveness of sins (Romans 3:21-26). Remember, Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress didn’t find what he was looking for, until he looked to the cross and his burdens then fell from his back.
Whenever we forget or neglect the incredibly gracious provision of God in Christ on the cross as substantiated in His resurrection, we operate like a tire with no air in it. Without the cross of Christ we are like a balloon with no lift, a lung with no breath, dead bones with no life. Part of the cause for this is our neglect in devotional time with the Lord. When we neglect devotions we go into the game of life with no instruction, no awareness of mission or message that gives meaning to life. It is in our quiet time with the Lord that He can sit us down at the foot of the cross. And it is at the foot of the cross we realize just how much God loves us and the extent He is willing to go, and has gone, to express that love. God demonstrates His love to us, at the foot of the cross where Jesus died for us (Romans 5:8). Such a magnificent provision of God and understanding it requires we take time out from our busy distracted lives and sit at the foot of the cross looking, watching, thinking, meditating, listening to the Lord about the substance of what He has done, at the cross.
Don’t forget the word of God. There are those who bend and twist devotional times into something they were never intended to be. There is a subtle but very dangerous movement of contemplation that looks beyond the meditation of scripture to far eastern worldly occultic mystical means to get closer to God. usually this involves more of emptying your mind rather than the biblically sound exhortation to fill your mind with God and His word. Beware of such things because they are a subtle sidetracking and a death nell to true devotional time with the Lord.
I have been a Christian for nearly five decades and a pastor for nearly four decades. One of the wisest and most beneficial pieces of advice I’ve ever received in my walk with the Lord is to practice reading through the Bible in a year. I have done this most of my Christian life and I believe the consistency I’ve experienced in my walk with the Lord can be traced to this holy habit. Not everyone is suited to reading through the Bible in a year. If you read four chapters a day in the Bible you will read it through in a year. Two chapters a day will get you through it in two years. One chapter a day will get your though the Bible every four years.
It’s not a contest, but reading through the Bible has many benefits. By reading through the Bible helps you see its truths in context. That is essential to properly understanding its truth. Reading through the Bible helps you to commit it to memory. The Bible is powerful and spiritual life enhancing (Hebrews 4:12). The Bible makes us “thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). There’s a reason why the longest chapter in the Bible is about the Bible (Psalm 119).
I never go to prayer without the word of God in hand. I encourage you to do the same. That’s because when we pray we speak to God, but when we read the Bible, God speaks to us. If you want a good two way dialogue in your devotional time, bring your Bible with you.
Getting on track devotionally. So how do we get started with a devotional time with the Lord or get back on track spending time with the Lord? Providentially I was recently asked about how to address this issue and what follows was my personal counsel to the inquirer. Here’s a few suggestions I hope will help you:
- Keep it enjoyable. Understand it should be not so much “I’ve got to spend time with the Lord” (obligation/work) as it should be “I get to spend time with the Lord!” (Privilege/ grace). Change your perspective on spending time with the Lord.
- Keep it simple. Don’t make your time with the Lord too complicated but keep it simple. I’m sure some devotional books are helpful but personally I just rely on the Bible. There’s nothing wrong with using a devotional. You may want to use one to jump-start your devotional and prayer life. But you can’t beat the Bible for the pure powerful spiritual nourishment of God.
- Keep it flexible. You should have a routine but not a routine that is so rigid that it isn’t open to revival. Keep your time with the Lord your time with the Lord. Don’t get bogged down in “I have to absolutely do A, B, C, in order for my devotions to be devotional each day. Like in all relationships sometimes you will do most of the talking and sometimes the Lord will. Sometimes you’ll do most of the listening and sometimes the Lord will. Don’t forget, God is omniscient, He knows already what you’re going to tell Him so it would be wise to lean toward listening more than talking. But follow the Spirit’s lead in this.
- Keep it creative and fresh. Get a new journal and start writing in it or personalizing it. Get a new Bible and start personalizing it with highlighting and comments. I recently purchased a Journaling the Word large print NKJV Bible with wide margins to write in and I love it. Change your space where you meet with the Lord. Incorporate more worship in your quiet times. Start a prayer list. Or maybe get away from a prayer list and just listen to the Lord and who or what He brings to mind to pray for. Start a personal study in a new part of the Bible. Start a new topical study on something you’re dealing with personally. For instance, what does the Bible actually say about having a devotional time and what it entails? Did Jesus have devotional times? What did His devotional time look like in comparison to mine? Things like this can get us going in our devotional time. I think sometimes we project expectations on ourselves that are unbiblical. They may at some points be helpful, but they are more human tradition than actual Biblical principle. What does THE BIBLE say about it? Always ask that question in all that you do.
- Keep it memorable. Find a special place of quiet and peace. My place is down by the beach at a local park where I live. Now this is not the only place I meet with the Lord, but it’s our special place where I have a mini retreat with the Lord. It’s a place where I can clear my head and just wait on the Lord and listen to Him. Some of my greatest memories and life impacting times with the Lord are down by the beach at my spot or driving in the car by myself worshipping the Lord.
- Keep it by faith. Sometimes you have to overcome feelings by faith. You may not FEEL like getting up or turning the TV off, or shutting down the computer etc., to meet with the Lord, but you have to take a step of faith. Literally get up and take one step, then two, three, and look at that, you’re on your way to meet with the Lord! That’s how devotion starts and keep going.
- Keep it personal. Personalize your devotional time with the Lord. Some people like morning devotions, others meet with the Lord at night. Others meet with the Lord during the day. The Lord loves you so much that He will make time to meet with you around your schedule and timing. He really does love you that much and He wants to meet with you.
- Keep it consistent. Yes you should be flexible and yes you should do things like this and change them up from time to time but establish a lifestyle of devotion with the Lord. Try to meet with Him consistently on a daily basis. If you miss a day, don’t beat yourself up about it, but get back on the horse the next day. Someone has said it takes about two weeks to establish a habit. Keep clutching until you get in gear. Keep plugging until your breakthrough comes.
- Keep it fun. Have fun with the Lord! You know He’s the only Friend that is always willing to join you when you ask Him too. So invite Him to the store with you, driving with you, working with you, playing with you, everywhere.
- Keep it realistic. Not everyone is suited to spend “hours” with the Lord each day every day like Leonard Ravenhill or some other saint of old did. Yes, we should stretch ourselves to grow and improve but we can go overboard with that. Sometimes we kind of generate excitement and a new commitment and start with a flourish only to die out because we set the bar too unrealistically high.
- Keep it productive and practical. Most importantly, don’t allow your devotional time to degenerate into a feel good session. You should always seek to receive instruction from the Lord in your quiet time, but you should also come away with something to implement in your day. That “something” is something revealed by the Holy Spirit. It is also “something” that will be true to scripture. It will be “something” the Holy Spirit will empower you to do.
- Keep it glorifying to God. In all we do, we should do it to glorify God. “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Conclude your devotional time with the Lord by asking, “Father, how do You want me to glorify You today?” God will always honor such a request and you will be blessed by His answers and opportunities.
Don’t beat yourself up, but don’t settle for mediocrity. As we draw to a close I want to exhort you to stop beating yourself up about your shortcomings devotionally. Understand the devil discourages us and tries to defeat us. The Holy Spirit encourages us to recognize flaws but always to build us up spiritually. Recognize and differentiate between the two. The devil may not be able to totally defeat you, but if he can get you to neglect your time with the Lord, he can keep you in a state of mediocrity. You may survive without devotions, for a time, but you will never be all you could have been if you implemented a devotional time in your life. Don’t settle for mediocrity.
Devotional time is essential to closeness to God. We need to realize that meeting with God, our Creator, Sustainer, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Loving, Holy God is one of His greatest blessings. It is a trick and deception of the devil to get us to settle for a mediocre relationship with God in Christ. Always remember, the closer we come to Jesus, the more clearly we will see our sin. The closer we come to Jesus, the more power we will have over our sin. The closer we come to Jesus, the more clearly we will see His purposes for us. And the closer we come to Jesus, the more clearly we will understand our lives and this world. All of this begins in our personal devotional time with the Lord. OUR PERSONAL DEVOTIONAL TIME IS TRULY OUR MOST HELPFUL HOLY HABIT. That is the message modelled by our Savior Jesus in His incarnation and what He calls us to follow in our walk with Him.
Let’s go! Let’s get started! The most important step in moving forward is the first step. It’s often the hardest step too. The next most important step is the second step, then the third, etc., then one day you wake up and, well look at me, I have a new holy habit in my life. Wonderful. Let’s go! Start today, right now if you can. Let’s go!
Be encouraged for this sign of life. Your burden to get right in this part of your life is a strong sign of spiritual life. The Bible says of Jesus, “A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory;” (Matthew 12:20). Jesus is gentle and He empathizes with us. He will help you strengthen your weak spots and fan to a flame your spiritual life when it’s flickering. And He will ultimately bring you to victory. Be encouraged, help is on the way. Your help is Jesus.
Father, in Jesus’ name we come to You. Please forgive us for neglecting our alone time with You. Lord we have allowed ourselves to get so busy and so distracted and allowed ourselves to be seduced by the enemies’ tactics to sidetrack us from meeting with You. Please help us to see how much You love us and how much You want to meet with us and how much of an incredible privilege and blessing our opportunity to meet with You is. Please help us to establish or reestablish a holy habit of personal devotional time with You. Please call us. Please meet with us. Please help us to draw nearer and nearer to You. Please make us what we need to be, to do what You call us to do, for Your glory, until Jessus returns. In Jesus’ name. Amen!