Devoting Time to God each Day

Heavenly Father,

 

Today I pray that my children will come to know the value of spending quiet time with You.  I confess, it took me years of practicing how to be disciplined in prayer, journaling, Bible reading and meditation.  What is effective yesterday in meeting with You, may be very different in how I meet with You today. Life changes, circumstances change and we all change.  Just being still is a huge challenge, but the personal benefits of just being still are consistently HUGE Lord. We confess that we are consumed with doing and accomplishments and goals - not bad things, but demanding, consuming tasks. I pray that my loved ones will know the beauty of holiness in Your presence by being still.  I pray we will all slow down and savor precious time with You; time to breathe and do nothing but focus on You, Your beautiful world and how good You. Just thinking about such a time is refreshing! May we all take a revitalizing 'time out' regularly away from screen, electronics, noise and distractions. I pray my kids will give themselves a 'time out' with You. In Jesus' Name, Amen    

 

He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

​               -   

Psalm 46:10 (NIV)​

He says, "Stop your striving and recognize that I am God! I will be exalted over the nations! I will be exalted over the earth!" 

​ - Psalm 46:10 (​NET Bible)

 

The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.

​ - Exodus 14:14

​“Teach me, and I will be silent; make me understand how I have gone astray. - Job 6:24

Devotion is not a duty. It’s a delight. It is not an exercise in piety. It is a privilege. And it is not so much a visit as it is a homecoming. Without question one of the most remarkable Christian doctrines is that Jesus Christ Himself through the presence of the Holy Spirit will actually enter a heart, settle down and be at home. -from  My Heart Christ’s Home  by Robert Boyd Munger

Spiritual practices are not an end in themselves, but are meant to connect us to Jesus, teach us wisdom, and eventually help transform our lives. - Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy

Are you familiar with phrases about having our daily devotions? Where did that term originate? We don’t know when the word devotion was first used for our periods of Bible study and prayer, but it is appropriate. The word devotion means ‘earnest affection for a person or a cause.’ It is a better term than the word commitment. We can be committed to a cause out of sheer duty; but to be devoted implies commitment plus affection . – Dr. David Jeremiah

There's great value in daily devoting time to be 'still and know' - know  Christ better and thus, know more! It's a win-win!

Forever and always ~