Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved … who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
OK, you’ve decided to take five minutes a day and spend with God. You’ve made the decision to try it. What can you expect? For one thing, you’ll discover that Murphy’s law, “Anything that can happen, will happen,” has your name on it. You will oversleep. You will discover that your socks don’t match. You will have extra work that keeps you up late, so late that as soon as you close your eyes, you are instantly asleep. You will set the alarm early, and an alarm that has never failed before, will not go off! You will settle down with an open Bible or a notebook and begin to ponder your relationship with God, and the phone will ring, or you will immediately think of things that need your attention right now, so you push aside the Bible and skip your quiet time with God.
How do I know? I’ve tried it at least a hundred times, but I’ve started at least 101 times. In other words, I haven’t quit. Interested in five simple guidelines that can help you develop a quiet time or a time of spiritual meditation and study? They are:
Guideline #1: Make the commitment to take at least five minutes a day and spend with the Lord. I’m sure I don’t have to sell you on the importance of the idea. The vast majority of people believe that being in the presence of God is important, but not important enough to make the commitment to include time in His presence in their daily schedule. Remember, the longest journey in the world begins with the first step, and your commitment to enrich your life by taking five minutes a day is the beginning that can change your life.
Guideline #2: Be definite, but flexible, in your plan to schedule five minutes a day. When’s the best time for this? Anytime, right? Dead wrong! Anytime is some other time, and some other time never gets scheduled. So, look at your schedule, or daybook. Determine when you can take five minutes a day and make it a habit. For some, the first thing in the morning is the best time, but for you night people, five minutes at the end of your day is a lot more productive.
Guideline #3: Have a plan. Three ingredients should fit into that plan. First, Scripture, or God’s Word, the Bible. Here you find the strength of the ages; through these pages, God speaks to us. Then, you need some moments of reflection or meditation as you ask yourself, “How does what I’ve read apply to my life, to what I’m facing right now?” Then you need a few minutes to talk to God in prayer. Here you connect with Him by sharing your heart.
Guideline #4: Stay focused. It is so easy to let your mind wander. You read a chapter, close the Bible, and you can’t remember a word or a thought that you’ve read. Do you know why? All of the time, your mind was going over your schedule for the day. You were thinking about your broken-down car, or the problems confronting you. How do you stay focused? Possibly by reading out loud. Perhaps by journaling, or writing down your thoughts, by making the conscious decision to put your mind where your body is, and worship God.
Guideline #5: Discipline yourself, and, if necessary, cut something else out of your overburdened schedule. When it’s all said and done (and usually more is said than done), we have time for what we really want to do. Nobody can honestly say (myself included), “I don’t have at least five minutes a day to nurture my soul and refresh my mind.” But you don’t just find time, you must take it.
What are the rewards? An amazing sense of clarity in your thinking. You begin to see life from a different perspective. You slow down enough to realize you are in the presence of the Almighty. You realize your problems are not so big after all. Five minutes can change your life.
Resource reading: James 4:7-10
