An Hour a Day

For the past month or two God has been dealing with me on the subject of how much time I spend with Him in the Word and intimate prayer.

I have always been one to read a couple of chapters and say a quick prayer, maybe ten to fifteen minutes total, then get on with my day. This time, while better than none, became rote to me. It was something I needed to do, felt better about myself after doing, and could lift my chin a little higher because I was a “holy” Christian who spent time in the Word and in prayer each day.

Then came the conviction. First, my pastor asked us in Bible study if we had a specific time of prayer set aside in our day, every day. My answer was no. I tried to etch time out of the day first thing, but sometimes I didn’t “get” to my alone time with Him right away. Another conviction came in the form of participating in a Bible study at a good friends church on “Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World.” In Ms. Weaver’s book, she places emphasis on spending an hour a day with the Lord so we might accomplish what He has for us to do.

While these convictions spoke to my heart, my bed was very comfortable. And the idea of extra sleep was very convincing. In other words, I ignored them. Well…until last Tuesday.

Last Tuesday morning I woke up at 8ish. I heard the still small voice say to me, get up and spend some time in the Word and in prayer. I closed my eyes tight and said it’s just me. I heard it again. Knowing my husband and daughter were at work and my son would sleep in, my reply was I’ll have plenty of time to read and pray when I get up later. There will be no one around to bother me. I closed my eyes, turned over and went back to sleep.

An hour later, I felt someone touching my arm. I opened my eyes to my daughter who was home from work early and wanting my attention. I spent the rest of Tuesday knowing I did not obey the voice of the Lord. At every turn, I was reminded of this fact. It saddened me to know I would choose sleep over spending time with the Lord.

Wednesday morning when I woke to the still small voice, I threw my legs over the side of the bed and said I’m up! I spent a wonderful hour in the presence of my Lord.

Matthew 6:33 reads “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” I believe the key word in the above verse is first. We are to give God the first of all we have, our treasure, our talents and our time. Is giving Him an hour of our day really too much to ask?

I believe Mr. Luther had it right. “If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the Devil gets the victory through the day...I have so much business, I can not get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.” — Martin Luther