One of Those Days

 

Do you ever have one of those days where nothing seems to go to plan? What could go wrong, inevitably does. The jobs you thought would be simple, turn into insurmountable mountain climbing experiences. The small to do list turns into a 500-word essay, with many edits, add ons, retractions and not a whole lot of ‘done’ check marks.

Do you ever sigh and moan, “It’s just not my day”.

It’s on these days that we can begin to doubt that God really knows what He’s doing. We know He is in control, but we wonder if He really understands what we’re going through and how much we can really handle.

Does He truly understand the stress we’re facing? The anxiety, the pressures, the exhaustion, mentally and physically. Will He be able to help us hold our heads above the waves? Will He keep our feet from slipping?

I’m here to tell you that Yes, He will.  And yes, He does. It doesn’t matter what we’re facing, how hard the wind is blowing or how high the waves are, He knows all about it and He cares.

The Psalmist reminds us that our days are the days the Lord has made.

Psalm 118:24 KJV - This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

We may think it’s just not our day, but God has ordered it and who are we to go against him?

Sometimes I’m sure the Lord has a sense of humour. He looks down at us, running around like busy little ants, merrily planning our days activities, possibly without thought of what He would have us do, and He steps in and tweaks our day a little, so that we have to rely on Him and trust Him more than we have been.

He gently reminds us that He is in control and that although we feel that we can’t handle the chaos that swirls around us, He is the peace in the midst of the storm. He is who we need to cling to when we’re overwhelmed.

Psalm 61:2 - From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

So called ‘bad days’ have a way of reminding us of what is important in life. We tend to think that our nicely laid plans that we have jotted down in bullet point form in our daily diaries, the alerts and reminders on our phones are just the way our day should go. But this is where we’re wrong! Yes, it’s great to set goals and we should. But let’s not be so determined to achieve them that we forget who is in control. Heads up – it’s not you!

There’s a word I want to remind you of. Surrender. Yes, only 9 little letters, but put them together and they hold great significance.

Surrender means to stop resisting and submit. It means to give up or hand over. It means to relinquish possession or control of something, and to give up in favour of another.

Do you see where I’m going with this? We have to learn to surrender our strategy, our plans, even our goals to the Lord. Instead of planning out our day and then praying our plan to the Lord, we need to pray that He will show us His plan and that we will learn to be content with exactly how He orders our day.

In the industry I work in, every day is unpredictable, full of twists and turns, and it doesn’t matter how much you plan, the plan always goes out the window and a new one has to be devised.

I sometimes wonder if God put me in this particular line of work to teach me patience! Something I struggle with. And possibly flexibility too. And resilience and perseverance and strength.

I don’t really get to order my day like I did when I was home every day. I have my day planned for me and then, things get turned upside down and I have to reshuffle, shift gears, readjust my thoughts and head off in a different direction.

Often my days are so full that I feel I’ve become one of those slider puzzles where you only have one spare space and limited moves. I’m finding that sometimes God has to throw some pieces out and put some others in, in order to make room for His move, in His direction, according to His perfect will.

It’s so hard sometimes to stop resisting God’s plans and simply submit. Surrender. Relinquish control. I find myself getting frustrated with God and impatient. I want rest. I want quiet. I want organized structure. I want the rush to slow down and yet, God sees fit to order my days and fill them with so many unknowns.  

I’m learning that despite the chaos and everchanging minutes of my days, God is still in control. And although I may not understand his ways, I do know that his ways are perfect.

Psalm 18:30 - As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

If I can’t see what God is doing and why he’s doing it, I know I can trust in his perfect character. I can count on his unchanging nature.

Now, I’m not writing this because I have arrived. Oh no! Far from it. I still have my days where I’m dissatisfied with God’s order and I pout and stomp my foot in a childish tantrum, hoping that He’ll change His mind and do things my way. But the older I get, and the more I study his Word, the more I learn about God, and the closer my walk is with Him, the more I feel I can surrender to His will and His way. I trust more. I love more. I rest more. I surrender more.

Yes, the days are still hard and often I resist the changes God makes, but from what I know of God, I can rest assured he has a plan and often he is keeping me safe from some unseen calamity or simply trying to do a purifying work in my life by sending trials. He longs for me to be more like him. He wants to draw me close and cleanse out the impurities, so that I can come forth as gold.

Job 23:10 KJV - But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Can I remind you that there are going to be days where you feel beaten down, trodden under, pulled in every direction? It’s on these days that you need to trust God more and cling desperately to Him, resting in His arms and relying on His strength to get you through.

Let go of the reins, and let God take control. Stop resisting and start surrendering. You will never be able to experience real peace until you fully surrender to His will.

Only then will a calm descend upon your soul. A peace that you know could only come from God. You’ll be able to take a deep breath and sink into His everlasting arms, content in knowing that He will do what is best for you and He will give you the strength you need for whatever your day brings.

You may fall into bed exhausted after a long and tiresome day, but if you have made an effort to go with God’s flow, not trying to swim upstream, against his current, fighting the waves, you can be comforted in knowing that he has had your best interest at heart all the day long and has kept you from things you knew nothing about, and given you opportunities you wouldn’t have had, had you not surrendered his will.

Choose to remember his goodness. Choose to remember your past victories. Choose to remember you have a hope and a future that is sure.

God is still good even in the midst of your doubts.

Psalm 77:11 KJV - I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.

 

 

Not Down, But Through

 

Isaiah 43:2 KJV - When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

 

When thou passest through the waters
Deep the waves may be and cold,
But Jehovah is our refuge,
And His promise is our hold;
For the Lord Himself hath said it,
He, the faithful God and true:
”When thou comest to the waters,
Thou shalt not go down, but through.”

Seas of sorrow, seas of trial,
Bitterest anguish, fiercest pain,
Rolling surges of temptation
Sweeping over heart and brain —
They shall never overflow us,
For we know His word is true;
All His waves and all His billows,
He will lead us safely through.

Threatening breakers of destruction,
Doubt's insidious undertow,
Shall not sink us, shall not drag us
Out to ocean depths of woe;
For His promise shall sustain us,
Praise the Lord, whose Word is true!
We shall not go down, or under,
For He saith, " Thou passest through."

by Annie Johnson Flint

 

I came across this beautiful poem and was so struck by it, I had to share it and dig a little deeper into its meaning.

Isaiah 43:2 holds a very special place in my heart. I have a very tear-stained, handwritten copy of the verse on an index card that I feel I will keep forever because of the strength it gave me during one of the darkest times in my life. And even to this day, I can’t read it without tears welling up in my eyes as the emotions rush in and the memories along with it.

As I went through my time of trial, this verse became my lifeline. I claimed this promise on a daily basis and read and cried over it so many times, hence the tear stains.

But something I never fully grasped until reading this poem was the fact that the Lord says, through.

Through the waters. Through the rivers. Through the fire.

It clearly says that when we pass through, he will be with us. Not down, but through.

That means that it’s only temporary! It will pass.

Through. As in, moving in one side and out the other. Passing beyond. Crossing over.

And this passing through, with God walking alongside, is available to us, redeemed, forgiven, children of God.

Isaiah 43:1b - Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

And who is it that walks with us? God.

Isaiah 43:3a - For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour:

We can take great comfort in knowing who it is that is with us and that he will bring us through.

Take a look with me at some other places in Scripture that God reminds us that he will make a way through.

*Please don’t be tempted to skip over the verses without reading them fully. I know that some of you will say, “yeah, I know that verse” and you’ll neglect to read it. I know this because I have been guilty of doing it myself.

It’s easy to gloss over the Words of Scripture when we read something someone has written, thinking that the commentary is more important than the actual verse. How wrong that thinking is! God’s Word should never be read hastily and without thought. God’s Words are so far above man’s thinking and interpretation, that we need to read them carefully and thoughtfully and with a teachable heart, longing to understand what God is saying to us.

So, please, read on and don’t skip a single word!

Habakkuk 3:15 KJV - Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, through the heap of great waters.

1 Corinthians 10:1 KJV - Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

Numbers 33:8 KJV - And they departed from before Pihahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and went three days' journey in the wilderness of Etham, and pitched in Marah.

Hebrews 11:29 KJV - By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.

So, what are all these references to the sea? We read the story in Exodus of the miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from Pharaoh’s army.

Exodus 14:16, 21-22 KJV - But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. ... And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

This is one Bible story I wish I could have experienced for myself. Can you just imagine walking in between a huge hallway of water rising on either side of you, dry ground underfoot, running your fingertips through the water as you watched the fish swim alongside, like a giant aquarium, crossing to the other side? And as if that wasn’t enough, seeing Pharaoh’s army be swallowed up by the river and swept away, never to be seen again! I don’t even know what expression to use here in this sentence! But wow! Wow! WOW!

All throughout history, and even today, God is watching over his children, and he is going with them as they pass through fiery trials, difficult days, depressing circumstances, loss and grief, pain and sorrow.

Why do we often say we went ‘through’ a trial? Because that’s what we do! We go through it. We don’t stay in it. Even though, at times, it seems never-ending. We go through it.

Even the most well-known Psalm reminds us of this fact.

Psalm 23:4 KJV - Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

With God’s help, we can go through our trials. He will be with us, and we will pass through the waters, the rivers, the fire, the loss of a loved one, the terrifying health diagnosis, the days of dark depression, the financial stress, the heavy workloads, the tiring days of raising little ones.

Whatever it is you’re facing, you can, and you will pass through it. With God’s help, you don’t have to stay there. You can pass through it.

Look down a little further in Isaiah 43.

Isaiah 43:16, 19 KJV - Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; ... Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

These verses tell us that God will make a way. It’s another way of saying that you’ll go through it. He can make a way where there is no way.

We see an obstacle. God sees an opportunity.

Not only does God help us to pass through and make a way, he also promises to go before us.

Deuteronomy 31:8 KJV - And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

Isaiah 52:12 KJV - For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward.

Isaiah 45:2 KJV - I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:

But can we, as Christians in 2023, take the Words of the Old Testament and apply them to our lives? Can we claim the promise that God will go before us?

We can and we should! If God loved us so much that he sent his only Son to die a cruel death on a cross, shedding his blood so that we could have eternal life, then how much more will he be with us today? Walking with us, making a way, going before us as we live our lives here on this earth in this day, at this time in history.

His promise still holds true. He will not forsake us.

God told Joshua that he would be with the people of Israel as they went into the promised land, and he will be with us as we venture into an unknown future.

Joshua 1:9 KJV - Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

I found many references in the Bible with the sentences, “God is with thee, you, us and God was with them” etc. And God hasn’t changed. He is still the same. He is still with us.

Whatever it is you’re facing today, take comfort in knowing that God knows all about it. He sees your tears, he hears your cries, he knows your hurt and he will help you go through it. He will make a way. He will go before you and beside you and he’ll even carry you when you can’t take another step.

You may have to go through the waters. You may have to swim across raging rivers. You may even have to go through the fire, but you can come out the other side, dry, unharmed, without even the smell of smoke on your clothes.

God will bring you through.

 

Psalm 46:1-3, 7

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed,

and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,

 though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. ...

The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

 

 

 

Misunderstood and Misapplied

 

Are you ever guilty of wrongly interpreting verses of Scripture? Do you find yourself stripping away surrounding verses, removing them from their original context and putting your own spin on them?

Now, I understand that we are not all theologians, myself included, and we will never understand all of Scripture as we wish we could, but if we truly want to know what a Bible verse or passage means, we have to read it in its context.

This was brought to my attention this morning as I read over a very familiar passage found in Philippians chapter 4.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

This particular verse is well-loved and often quoted. We read it on mugs or framed with a picture on a wall, or on a T-shirt. But unfortunately, it is frequently misunderstood and misapplied. Guilty? Yeah, me too.

Contrary to popular belief, this verse is not a promise that God will enable believers to do whatever they want, whenever they want. God is not a cosmic vending machine ready to dispense a desired outcome. Press C4. Now God will grant you the strength to become an Olympic swimmer. No. It doesn’t work like that.

We’re often guilty of eisegesis (reading our thoughts or desires into Scripture), rather than faithful exegesis (drawing out of Scripture what is really there and what is really meant).

After reading through the book of Philippians this morning, this passage in chapter 4 hit me like a ton of bricks and I had to dig deeper.

Maybe it resonated with me more as I have struggled with contentment a lot lately. And possibly, as you read this, you realise that you are facing the same struggles too.

So, if you’re interested in doing a deep dive into these well-known verses, then stay with me. Make yourself a cuppa. We could be here a while.

Just before Paul makes this powerful statement found in verse 13, he writes these words.

Philippians 4:11-12 - Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.  I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

Paul recounts some of the circumstances he has found himself in. Keep in mind where he writes this letter to the church at Philippi from. Prison. Yes. A prisoner in a Roman jail.

Paul reminds us that in the past he has been hungry, and he’s been well-fed. He’s been in need, and he’s been well off. He has found himself on both sides and yet, he has learned to be content.

Remember what I said about context? Verse 13 is not a blanket endorsement that God will support anything we set our minds to and that he will empower us to do the impossible. It’s not a matter of God helping us to do whatever we decide to do. No. It’s an assurance that we can do whatever God calls us to do. See the difference? Not our desires. His desires. But in this context, it is more.

Let’s jump back into verses 11 and 12.

Did you notice that Paul said he had learned to be content? In other words, this didn’t come naturally. He wasn’t born with contentment built in. No. He had to learn it. But how? How do we learn contentment?

Stay with me and I’ll get to that.

Let’s look at 2 words in verse 12. Abased and abound.

Now, I don’t know about you, but abase is not a word I ever use. If we look at it in the Greek, we will see that it has the idea of humility. Humbleness. Bringing low. Modest. Devoid of all haughtiness. Reduced to lower circumstances. And in comparison with the word abound, I think we can gather from this that in being abased, he had suffered need. He had gone hungry. He had been brought low.

In contrast, Paul reminds us that he also knew how to abound. To overflow. To exceed. To have over and above. To be abundant. He had had times where he was well off. Well fed. Living in better circumstances.

But the beautiful thing here, is that Paul had learned to be content with either. Whether he was full or empty, he was content.

He knew how to suffer without being overcome and overwhelmed by it. He knew how to be abased and not lose his faith and trust in God. He didn’t fall into despondency and disbelief in God’s providence just because of his dire circumstances, of which we know he had plenty.

But he also knew how to abound. He knew how to be full, but not proud, secure in himself or boastful. And that’s no mean feat.

For some reason, (and when we look further, we’ll see why), nothing could disturb Paul’s equanimity. Nothing could upset his mental or emotional stability or composure. He was able to remain calm and content under tension and strain and in difficult situations.

How about you? How often is your mental or emotional state affected by your circumstances? I hate to confess, but for me, it is far too often than I care to admit.

So, how in the world did Paul so confidently say, I have learned to be content? It may sound as if Paul is boasting in his own goodness. With his “I” and “I know” statements, we may think that he is proud. But when you get to verse 13 you see the answer to the ‘how’.

Philippians 4:13 KJV - I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Do you see the 2 key words? Through Christ.

How did he learn to be content in all circumstances? He learnt how at the feet of Jesus. It was only through Christ that he could learn contentment.

Paul is not boasting about his achievements, he is giving the glory to God. He makes sure we understand that it was only through Christ that he was able to persevere through hard trials. And it was also through Christ that he could enjoy, without self-absorption and pride, the good times.

It is by God’s grace that we can learn to be content in all circumstances. It is through him.

Paul had learned to bring his mind under control and make the best of every circumstance, whether good or bad. There is a lot to be said on the subject of our minds and how our thoughts dictate our actions. I’ll leave that for another time, but it is worth deeper study.

You know as well as I do, that our circumstances are always changing. But the heart of what Paul is trying to say, is that contentment does not and should not depend on our circumstances. Circumstances are always changing, but our contentment can remain constant.

Paul gives us two opposing poles to look at. A lot and a little. Abundance and lack. We will all find ourselves somewhere on that spectrum. It may be somewhere in the middle, but the point is that we can have a contentment in Christ that remains the same.

“Circumstances do not determine our contentment. Our contentment comes because Christ is with us in any set of circumstances”.

Verse 12 gives the context to the secret found in verse 13. It is through Christ which strengthens us.

So why is context so important for interpretation? When Paul says I can do “all things”, he means something very specific. And this is what jumped out at me today. He is referring back to the lot and the little, the abundance and the lack, he found in verse 12.

We can’t take verse 13 as a promise that as believers, we can do anything we desire to do.

Yes, Christ can help us do all things, but they need to be things in line with Scripture and according to His will and His desires. Not our own.

It is through Christ’s strength that we are able to face life’s circumstances with contentment and joy.

Philippians 4:13 KJV - I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

We need Christ’s strength, not our own, in order to do God’s will. We need his strength to be content. And not only in the difficult times. We need to be careful that we stay content in times of plenty.

Proverbs 30:8-9 KJV - Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

In these verses in Proverbs, we see that riches can cause us to forget the Lord and live as though we have no need of him, just as poverty can cause us to doubt him and go as far as to curse him.

There is danger in both circumstances, poverty or riches, of being discontent.

Let’s take a little look at this word ‘strengthen’ found in Philippians 4:13.

Now, I’m not great at grammar, but I do love looking into words and digging into their meanings.

Matthew Henry says that the word in the original is a participle of the present tense and so indicates a continued act. It is as if Paul is saying: “Through Christ, who is strengthening me, and does continually strengthen me; it is by his constant and renewed strength I am enabled to act in every thing; I wholly depend upon him for all my spiritual power.”

God wants us to be strong and it is by his power that we have this strength. An ongoing strength.

Ephesians 6:10 KJV - Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

2 Timothy 2:1 KJV - Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 3:16 KJV - That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

We can have strength to do all things, but this strength and power must come from Christ. Notice in these verses that it is by God’s strength? ‘In the Lord. In his grace. By his Spirit.’

So, in coming full circle back to our original thought, “I can do all things”, we have to pause and remember that in this context Paul is labouring the point that these ‘all things’ refer to the preceding verses. He wants us to know that we can learn contentment and that we can learn to endure lack or abundance through God’s power and his presence.

I can do all things. I can live content through any circumstance. I can live joyful.

This beautiful verse is not a catch-all phrase to be used as a lucky charm or a phrase we repeat to ourselves in order to justify our desires and the wrong thinking that God will bless everything we do and every choice we make because we have his power and strength.

Yes, it is true that we have access to God’s strength and power, but he can just as easily take it away if we are guilty of misusing it.

James 4:3 KJV - Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

We can’t just apply this verse to all situations and expect God to come through when our will does not line up with his.

I think what hit me the most this morning was the placement of this verse and realizing where it was in Scripture and the fact that the ‘all things’ meant the lot and the little. The good and the bad. The easy and the hard. The plenty and the few.

It struck me that the ‘all things’ that I could do was to learn contentment. I could, through God’s strength, learn to live joyful in all circumstances.

My circumstances don’t have to dictate my happiness. My contentment needs to be based on the person of Jesus Christ.

Paul, in prison, denied freedom, most likely hungry, possibly with a death sentence looming over his head, writes these words, “I can do all things through Christ”.

God never promises that all our earthly problems will go away or be fixed. In fact, the Bible says the opposite in John 16:33 - These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

We will face storms. We will face trials. We will face hardships, but we can learn to have peace and joy and contentment even on our darkest days.

Paul is proof of this. Beaten. Jailed. Whipped. Shipwrecked and eventually killed for his faith, he wrote often about his joy and peace.

Paul’s contentment didn’t come through the power of positive thinking or some inner determination or strength. It was Jesus who gave him strength.

How can we apply this passage to our everyday life?

Don’t let your circumstances determine your joy – We have to put things in their proper perspective. We often think that we need certain things to line up in order to be happy, but the reality is that all we need is Christ. Paul didn’t let his depressing circumstances steal his joy. He was content with the knowledge that Christ was with him and that was enough. God was enough.

Keep your eyes on Jesus- We don’t need to dig deep within ourselves to find some inner strength or resolve in order to make it through trying times. We need to look to Jesus. When we start focusing on all our problems, we lose sight of God, and we forget that he is in control. The world’s philosophy says, “You got this!”. Well, let me break it to you, we don’t got this! If we focus our eyes on Christ, we will be able to navigate the issues we face and get through whatever lies ahead. God’s got this! His power. His strength. His enabling.

In 1 Timothy, Paul exhorts Timothy, and us, to be content.

1 Timothy 6:7-8 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

Contentment has to do with satisfaction, fulfilment, gladness, cheerfulness, restfulness, peace. Paul is warning that rather than striving to accumulate wealth, we as followers of the Lord, should focus our attention on pursuing holiness in conduct, attitude and thought. We should choose to be content in whatever circumstances the Lord puts us in. We can be content.

Contentment is not found in ‘things’. True contentment lies in having faith in God, that whatever he chooses to do in our lives, whatever he chooses to give us, or not give us, is according to his perfect will and we should put our trust in him and be content that he is working for our good.

When the seed of discontentment is sown in our hearts, it begins to grow and pretty soon our whole outlook is one of frustration and ungratefulness.

As these verses tell us, we came into this world with nothing, and we’ll go out with nothing. Interestingly enough, it also tells us that we should be content with food and raiment. Full stop. That’s it. Wow! Food and clothes. Well, we all have that don’t we? But is it enough? We often want so much more.

“If you cannot find happiness, joy, peace, and contentment in the Lord with what He has already done for you in your present- then you will probably not be able to find it with whatever He will want to do for you in your future, since you will always be looking for that next, new, big thing that you think will make you happy, content, and fulfilled.”

It’s true. If we don’t work on being content today, we’re not going to be content in the future. I love how Paul says in Philippians, “I have learned”. In other words, it didn’t come naturally, he had to work at it. It’s something he had to learn. And it’s something we have to learn too. There is hope. We can learn to be content. We can work on it. We can practice contentment. We can do ‘all things’ with Christ’s strength.

Every day, God brings little things, little blessings into our lives that we take for granted. Stop. Take notice of these things. And praise him. Aim for a contented spirit. Keep a record of God’s blessings so that when you begin to feel that discontentment welling up inside of you, you can go back over your list of blessings and praise God once again.

 

Contentment does not mean that I desire nothing,

but rather, it's the simple decision to be happy with what I have.

 

 

It’s going to look different, and that’s okay

Can I talk to you for a few minutes about your personal quiet time?

What do I mean when I use that term, ‘quiet time’?

I’m talking about that time you spend alone with God, cultivating your relationship with him through prayer and reading of the Word and mediation on the Bible, learning more of God and worshipping him whether through prayer and praise or through song or thought.

Did you know that the term ‘quiet time’ is not even in the Bible? Neither is ‘personal devotions’.

Without going into all the history of where and when we first started using the term, (I’ll let you do your own digging) it was in the late 19^th century that the term first started being mentioned and used among evangelical Protestants in England and North America. Previous to this, it had been commonly called the ‘morning watch’.

But whatever you choose to call it, we have examples in the Bible that emphasize the need of it in our lives. Even the Lord Jesus himself took time out to spend alone with his Father.

Matthew 26:36 KJV - Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

Mark 1:35 KJV - And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Luke 5:16 KJV - And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.

The Lord Jesus saw it as something important and so should we.

I sometimes find the term ‘quiet time’ to be a little vague and not as accurate as I would like, as it implies that we need a certain environment.

But what I really want you to grasp, is that the idea of a quiet time looks different for everyone. And that’s okay.  Everyone is in a different season of life, with different circumstances and living and working in varying situations, and so, our quiet times with God are going to look different from person to person.

In the past, I really struggled to make my time alone with God a consistent thing.

When the girls were little, I would make excuses for not having a quiet time. It just wasn't quiet. I thought I had to have quiet in order for God to hear me or for me to hear him. And I thought I needed an hour at the very least.

As the girls were growing up, life was anything but quiet! As the sun peeked over the horizon, straight away the cares of the day began to press in. A baby needing to be fed, a toddler crying, dishes to wash, baking to be done, and pretty soon that much needed time alone with God was pushed aside and the distractions of life took over.

I was always searching for that elusive 'piece of quiet' to sit and calmly take in what God wanted to say to me for that day. And I never had that hour I thought I needed.

But, over the years I have come to realise that it is God that supplies the quiet, we just need to supply the time. God doesn't expect us to come to Him with a quiet spirit in order to have a quiet time. He will bring the peace our soul craves.

I have many regrets as I look back on those early years, and I am saddened that I didn’t take the opportunities I was given, those moments when things were quiet and there were little snatches of uninterrupted time that I could have used more wisely. But praise God, he forgives and gives us another chance to change and make things right.

The true purpose of our quiet times is to seek God and worship him and learn from him, gaining knowledge about his character and revealing the flaws in ours in order that we can obey and change and grow in our spiritual walk.

It’s not about what I can get from God. It’s not about what is in it for me. It’s not about how it will make me feel or whether it will work like a good luck charm and set me up for a perfect day.

It’s all about what can I learn about God. How can I get to know him better? How can I grow in my spiritual walk through reading and studying the Bible? What do I need to change in my life in order to be a better testimony and show the world Christ?

It’s not always easy to find time to spend focused on God and on his Word, but it is so important if we want to grow and deepen our relationship with him.  

It is intentional time with God. We have to choose to make time for it. But God promises to reward our faithfulness.

Hebrews 11:6 KJV - But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

I want to give you a helpful reminder:

Our seasons are going to change what our quiet times look like. If we expect them to look the same, stay the same, from season to season, we are going to get discouraged.

That’s right. With each changing season in our lives, our quiet times change.

For some of you your quiet time may look like holding a baby on one arm and turning the pages of your Bible with another. You may have to pray with one eye open.

Or it may be sitting at the kitchen bench in the dark of the early morning, with a small basket beside you, holding your Bible and some study material to sit and meditate on before the rush of the busy day starts.

Or maybe it’s curled up in a comfy chair, reading the Bible, with soft music playing.

Or sitting on the roof watching the sun go down as you listen to worship music, and take in the message as well as the view, praising God for his goodness to you.

I fear that with the rise in popularity of social media accounts and influencers, we have put together a warped picture in our heads of what a quiet time should look like and then we become intimidated and discouraged when ours doesn’t measure up.

You know exactly what I’m talking about. Journalling Bibles. Highlighters. Candles. Coffee. Pretty notebooks and pens and soft worship music.

Now, I’m not saying that any of these things are wrong. But if you expect that is how it should look in order to spend quality time with God, and you don’t achieve it, you’ll get frustrated.

As I said before, quiet times look different for everyone. And that’s okay.

Don’t wait for perfect circumstances and a perfect setting and a perfect time. If you are waiting for that, it will never come, and you will never have a quiet time.

Worship should not be dependent on perfect circumstances. It needs to be a posture of our hearts. Not just a time, or place or style. We should take time to worship and seek God anytime.

Did you know that there is no fixed rule about how we should go about our quiet time? It really is up to personal preference. Season of life. Personality. The layout of your home. Your family dynamic.

And I’m about to blow your mind. There is no rule about having it in the morning!

Yes, we read verses like this in the Bible:

Psalm 5:3 KJV - My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

And yes, it is often the best time, and for me, in my season of life, I find that it is. It’s quieter. I find it gives me a good start if I can meditate on God’s Word first thing and spend time in prayer, giving God my day and asking him to lead the way.  

But it’s not always practical. You can only get up so early. And sometimes you can’t make it up before the children or the newborn.

Just as there are verses about morning meditation, there are also verses like this:

Psalm 63:6 KJV - When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

A great time to pray and worship and meditate is in the stillness of the night. There may be less distractions for you at this time.

And what about Daniel, who met with the Lord three times a day.

Daniel 6:10 - Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

So, let’s be realistic here. Not everyone has an hour in the morning to spend alone with God. Not everyone has the energy and time at the end of the day. And the middle of the day is often not the time to stop and sit still and pour over the Scriptures.

The question is not: Are you coming to God in the morning? Are you spending an hour in the Word?

The question is:

Are you coming to him at all?

That is the crux of the matter. We need to be coming to him. Anytime, day or night, but sometime! Our quiet times need to be regular. We need to be consistent. Whether we feel like it or not, we need to make time for it.

If you want to deepen your relationship with God, you can’t rely on a sermon a week on a Sunday, or a few good worship songs on the way to work, or a quick devotional, or an inspiring quote or a pretty Bible verse bookmark.

No! You have to dig into the Word for yourself, and you have to set your mind to spending time with God, regularly, consistently, diligently.

The Bible is alive. It is powerful. It is a guide. A lamp. A light. It is pure. Eternal. Sure. Right. True. Perfect. Cleansing. Revealing. Righteous.

We need the Word of God, and we need it daily.

But don’t get discouraged if you missed your regular quiet time. Just start up again. If you missed it in the morning, then make time for it at night. If you missed it today, then make time for it tomorrow. Don’t throw up your hands in despair and give up. Ask God to give you the time and be open to his leading and watch for the opportunities he sends.

I love that we are able to have our Bibles at our fingertips in the form of an app on our phones.

I quite regularly have to wait in my line of business, and as I sit in the truck, with possibly only 10 minutes to spare, I pull out my phone and read over verses to think on throughout the day, or I’ll read an article written by Godly men and women who encourage me in my spiritual walk. Or I’ll spend time listening to some worship music, singing praise to God and rejoicing in his promises.

I find that the more time I spend with him, the more I get to know him and the more time I desire to spend with him. I find myself annoyed when my time runs out and I have to stop and go about my day and I look forward to the next time I can sit and study the Word.

God wants you to desire time with him. Don’t get discouraged that you don’t have hours to read and study, or you don’t have an ‘Instagramable’ quiet time setting. Just make sure that you are coming to God, and you are seeking him and longing to know him more.

Be content if you only have 5 minutes but make those 5 minutes count! 

Make the effort to make time for God, set aside a portion of your day to get alone with him, and he will show up! He will always show up. You will be blessed beyond measure when you put him first.

Matthew 6:33 KJV - But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

1 Corinthians 2:9 KJV - But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

We come to him broken, with our cup overflowing with confusion, worries, troubles, disappointments; and He graciously and lovingly pours it out and fills our cup with His peace and love and joy. God always shows up when we come to him in sincerity.

But you won’t grow deeper in your relationship with God if you don’t put the hard work in. You have to make a choice to put him first and to come to him regularly.

James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.

*These thoughts were taken from a recent Ladies Bible Study I taught, and I have condensed them to suit a shorter post but will possibly do another post on different ideas for our quiet times and also what hinders our quiet times. God bless. X