We are officially going into a year of living in the height of a pandemic, and every day looks different from the first. For someone like me who likes consistency, it's been hard for me to establish a routine. However, I’ve realized that the best thing to keep consistent is not what time I wake up in the morning or make a to-do list, it's my quiet time. Life is unpredictable and it is easy to get lost in the noise of what’s going on around us. This week, I’ve seen how a moment of quiet time with the Lord can set the tone for my entire day.
For the last few weeks, I’ve felt complacent in my relationship with God. Right now, I’m in a season where I’m reaping the harvest of what I planted in seasons prior. It's been difficult to navigate intentional time with the Lord. I find myself not sure of what God wants me to study or if there is something He is calling me to work on in this season. As I started to take inventory of the time I spend with Him, I noticed that it always consists of some type of noise. Whether it’s music, a sermon, or a podcast, it’s never completely silent.
One morning, as I was getting ready to start a new devotional, I decided to turn off any background noise. In the beginning, it felt weird because I was so used to the background noise setting the tone. However, this small alteration caused a shift in my time with the Lord. In silence, I could hear what the word was saying as I read it aloud, and I could focus on the devotional with a clear mind. That moment birthed a new article series and this blog post is the first in the collection. It took a pandemic for God to show me that in a life full of unpredictability, we need to control what we can control and leave the rest up to Him.
We are living in draining times, and the longer it takes for us to realize we can’t control everything, the more drained we become. Before I tackle my academics, clock into work, and deal with the unexpected situations that arise throughout the day, I have my quiet time. It has become the most valuable part of my day and I notice a difference when I skip it. Although I still make sure to feed my spirit with sermons, Christ-centered podcasts, and music, I do those things in addition to my quiet time.
Silence is uncomfortable but I believe in this season of harvest, the Lord wants me to step out of my comfort zone. In my quiet time, through reading His word and walking through certain devotionals, He’s shown me how to elevate my prayer life. I’ve learned that the season of praying safe is over, and now is the time to believe in Him for more than I ever have. But it took Him nudging me to silence the distractions.
After my quiet time, I can navigate through my day with an incomprehensible peace. Even though I still feel stressed and overwhelmed, I know I can always rely on some type of consistency. In times like these, we need to control what we can control and let God do the rest.
Right now, you may be saying that there isn’t enough time in your day to make room for quiet time. However, the Lord may be waiting for you to craft out as little as 10 min to spend some time getting in His presence. Focus on consistency and quality rather than quantity to maximize your time with God. There is a revelation waiting for us in our quiet time, so the question is, how much value are you putting on it?
Xoxo,
Girl with Grace