Are you making the most of the 

quieter seasons?

 

It’s been a very busy past few weeks here in our little part of the world. Not only have we finally begun to get some much-needed work for our business, but, more importantly, we’ve welcomed two new grandbabies into the family!

It has been a very busy season in our lives, and although the days have been a hectic juggle of work and family commitments, it has been a real blessing to have been able to spend so much time with the little ones God has given us as grandparents. I’ve loved every minute of it and wouldn’t change it at all, if I had to do it over again.

But, in looking back over the past few weeks, I’ve realised what it was that I missed most of all. Of the things I’ve missed during this time, the one thing that I longed for, has been my time of quietness spent alone with the Lord. It’s not that I’ve neglected reading my Bible or listening to a sermon or reading a devotional, but there just hasn’t been time for longer periods of study and quietness.

I need the water of God’s Word soaking into my heart and mind each and every day to quench my thirsty soul. I can see now that I could have used my time more wisely to allow for more time in the Word, less time scrolling on the phone, and more time turning the pages of the only book guaranteed to bring peace and comfort and rest. I think, at the end of every day, we realise that there are always a few minutes, or possibly even hours, that we could have used better.

Lately, I’ve felt like I’m being pulled in so many different directions at once that I’m not exactly sure which direction I was headed in the first place. Anyone else out there feeling like that? The dreams and ambitions I had, have somewhat faded into the distance and left me wondering if they are something I’m supposed to be doing after all.

Can I be real here? There are always going to be seasons in your life where it just all feels too hard. The struggle is real and it’s all you can do to put one foot in front of the other without falling flat on your face.

But you know what? God is still there. It doesn’t matter if you can’t see him, feel his presence, or hear his answers. He promises to be there with you, and he NEVER breaks his promise. And one of the best ways to know this, is to be in his Word daily and talk to him in prayer often. If you’re listening, he will speak. Even when you’re not, he still speaks, longing for you to listen.

Despite the busyness of your life, despite the circumstances you find yourself struggling through, he is there, walking beside you, ready to pick you up if you fall, ready to lead you through those dark valleys, ready to speak words of comfort into your heart. But if you’re not tuned in, getting into the Word, speaking to him and if you’re not walking as close as you can to him, you’re going to feel very alone.

Time spent in God’s Word is never wasted. God promises that his Word will not return void, or empty. God will not only use it to bless you today, but he will use it to sustain you in the future.

Isaiah 55:10-11  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

If you are in God’s Word daily, you will find yourself being blessed and encouraged not only today, but also in future seasons of life when the busyness threatens to crush you and you find yourself with less time on your hands than you would like. Those seasons when it’s a struggle to fit in a decent quiet time with the Lord, the days when you are emotional and feeling torn and pulled apart, the days where life is overwhelming and the waves are high overhead, the days where you physically, emotionally and mentally have absolutely nothing left to give and all you can do is fall into bed exhausted and totally done.

It’s during these times, that the Word of God that you have sown in your heart and the prayers you have prayed in times past, are a comfort to your soul. You may not have the time to spend more than a few minutes in his Word, but God will bring to remembrance verses of scripture, or lessons you learned from a sermon, or words to a worship song. He will speak to your heart from your past quiet times. And you will be blessed all over again.

I guess what I’m trying to say is this, don’t get discouraged and frustrated when life is interrupted by divine appointment. Learn to lean on God and trust the process, remembering that he is all-knowing and has everything in his hand and he will bring you through.

Make a choice to make the most of the seasons of rest or quieter times, taking time to study God’s Word, memorizing scripture, or taking notes from a sermon so you have it there ready to pull up and read over when time doesn’t allow for longer study. Save those worship songs to your playlist. The ones that speak to your soul and have you worshipping the Lord in praise and thankfulness. Highlight the verses in your Bible that really speak to you and encourage you, so that you can find them easily when time is short. Make a special folder to save those devotionals that really resonated with you and helped get you through tough times.

Do whatever you can to store up treasures for those winter seasons. And then, when the busy times come, you will be prepared and you will be nourished, encouraged, comforted, fed and blessed once again.

If you’re in one of those busy seasons right now, take heart, it won’t last forever. God will bring a time of rest, but with that time, choose to thirst after God’s Word and dig in deeper, storing up treasure to be reached into and pulled out in those days of clamour and busyness.

Be like the Psalmist that made a conscious choice to seek the Lord early. ”O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee”: I like to interpret this verse by reminding myself that I need to be in the Word before the busy times. Before I am in need of comfort. Before I need encouraging. Before life becomes too much.  Being prepared ahead of time, so that I have the Words of the Lord hidden in my heart, ready for those times of drought.

Psalm 63:1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

We need to desire more than anything else, God’s Word and God’s presence. It really is more precious than gold and it is so much sweeter than honeycomb.

Psalm 19:7, 9-10 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. ... The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

 

Psalm 119:11

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Take the time now, you won’t regret it! You never know when those crazy days will come, and you will need to draw from the well that you’ve been filling up over time spent with God. Fill it up. Draw it out. Keep filling, keep drawing.