Making Quiet Time with the Lord Your Top Priority

A common struggle for many women is finding time with the Lord. This struggle isn't just for young moms, although most of us certainly seem to have it, but also for career women, single women, women without children, and women whose children are grown. Yet, despite the season we find ourselves in, having and fostering a relationship with the Lord should be our top priority: above our husbands, our children, even the housework. Unless we make Jesus Christ the first and most important "to-do" on our lists each day, our husbands will suffer, our children will suffer, our homes will suffer, and we will suffer. How can we make it through the day without the Lord?

I love what our preacher said in his sermon yesterday: "Even more essential than our physical nourishment, than food or drink, is our spiritual sustenance." We make time to eat and drink at least three times a day, but what would happen if we viewed God's Word as the only form of sustenance we needed: the Living Water and the Bread of Life?

"Jesus answered and said to her, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.'"

-John 4:13-14

"But He answered and said, 'It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'"

-Matthew 4:4

When women confess to me that they struggle to find quiet time to spend with the Lord, I must admit that I'm a bit critical in my thinking. I want to say, "Get up earlier!" or "Turn off the TV!" But I've been there. I know how hard it is to wake up any earlier in the mornings when you've been up all night with a newborn. I know how it feels to just want to relax on the couch with your husband after a long day and watch your favorite shows together. And there's nothing wrong with either of those things. But we have to reassess our priorities. Who is my first priority: the Lord or myself?

If we truly want a relationship with the Lord--if we desire the peace and security He offers, if we yearn to know Him more intimately, if we crave quiet times with Him in meditation and prayer--we will make time for Him. We will postpone our human needs and wants and find true fulfillment in our Lord.

"I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food."
-Job 23:12

Most mornings I crawl out of bed around 5:30 when my husband's alarm goes off. It's tough to do and when our youngest was still waking up at nights to nurse, I often rolled over and went back to sleep. But since she's been sleeping through the night, I have found that I can go to bed early (around 9-9:30) and be fully rested with eight hours of sleep when 5:30 arrives. The girls generally wake up between 6 and 6:30, so I usually have 30-45 minutes to pray, read my devotional, and prepare for the day.

Lest you think I'm Wonder Woman, there are plenty of mornings when I oversleep or a child has been up at night and I need extra rest, and that early morning quiet time falls by the wayside. Then, I try to keep the girls in their rooms for a few extra minutes so I can say a quick prayer and commit the day to the Lord. I will tell you that on mornings when I don't have time for the Lord, my days fall apart pretty quickly. But after MANY early mornings with the Lord, it's become a habit; I have found that I CRAVE my time in the Word and in prayer, even forgoing that first cup of coffee just so I can get in a verse or two from His Word first. (Of course when baby #3 arrives in May, things will change once again; that is the beauty of the seasonality of motherhood.)

I want to encourage you, though, to make God your top priority. Set aside time every day to commune with Him. Forgo food and drink temporarily so you can feed on Him. Before long it will become a habit, and you won't be able to make it through the day without Him. You will find that He will satisfy your appetites and meet all your needs.

Blessings to you!

Keri

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