Is spending time with God really that important? I’ve struggled with this question a lot.
In the almost 25 years since giving my life to Jesus as a freshman in college, I’ve experienced very meaningful moments. You know what I mean — when a particular passage or verse of the Bible jumps off the page. Or during prayer when God provides powerful comfort, peace, and joy to meet particularly heavy circumstances of life.
I’m so thankful for these times, and for Jesus meeting me right where I’m at.
But I’ve also experienced discouragement in spending time with God. I remember well seasons where it seemed like my prayers bounced off a brick wall. Or verses in the Bible just felt like hollow words. In those times, it was all too easy for me to push God aside and concentrate on the areas of my life where I felt “successful.” Of course, that might have felt like it worked for a time, but it never ended well.
The longer I’m on this journey, the more I’m convinced that God did not design me only to spend time with Him for the purpose of having prayers answered or needs met. Often that’s where the road begins. But He has so much more in store!
God’s heart for me — and you — is to change us from the inside out so that we experience life as He designed it to be.
So what does Browncroft’s spiritual habit — “Spend Time With God” — look like practically for me now?
Well, I’m much less task-oriented and hurried in my time with God. I read the Bible and pray to experience togetherness (communion) with God, releasing my agenda and tight grip on the things that give me security.
Sometimes this means reflecting on a short passage of the Bible for much longer. It might mean sitting in silence, and even taking time to write about difficult emotions I’m feeling (sadness, anger, fear).
By the way, this is very challenging for me!
Releasing my own agenda for God also means not confining my time with Him to once a day, but rather stopping multiple times — even just for a few minutes — to be with Him. And it means admitting to God when things aren’t going well instead of doubling down in my own strength.
God’s heart for me — and you — is to change us from the inside out so that we experience life as He designed it to be. Praise God! We can bring glory to Him and reflect His love in the world. Through our everyday choices to spend time with God, particularly as we read the Bible and pray, His transformative power shapes us to become more like Jesus!
