Devotion Time – Being in the Presence with God

We are all busy people. Busy with work. Busy with studies. Busy with church duties. It has been said that the way of Satan is “Noise, Hurry & Crowd”. As gregarious people, we fear solitude. We fear silence. We dread stillness. Our fear of being alone drives us to noise and crowd. Technology – TV, MP3, mobile phone – useful for building human relationship, when over use can be a hindrance for building divine relationship.

But at the heart of the Christian calling is solitude, the way to a meaningful relationship with God. Through the years, I learn that the way to God is “Silence, Stillness & Solitude”.

It all began when I first became a Christian. The word – QUIET TIME – I was told by my follow-up leader is (1) Pray, (2) Read a Bible Passage, (3) Meditate on the passage, (4) write a personal application, (5) Close in prayer.

Call it quiet time, devotional time or even personal time, it is that moment to be treasured and seek the Lord while He may be found. Gradually, time for prayer includes time for listening also. Listening? Listen to who? We were taught that prayer is conversing with God. In life, we know that “People hear what you say. But true friends listen to what you don’t say” Solitude is like that. There is no word needed. It is the moment with God without words, the calm assurance of “being with God”. There is no need to “doing for God”.

Whatever ways your devotional method is, it doesn’t matter. It is that time you wait upon the LORD. That is the essence of being in the presence of God.

Do share with each other what you learnt from your devotional time!!

Do not let the busyness of life lure you away from the presence of God, like this poem:

No Time

I knelt to pray but not for long
I had too much to do
I had to hurry and get to work
For bills would soon be due.

So I knelt and said a hurried prayer
And jumped up off my knees.
My Christian duty was now done
My soul could rest at ease.

All day long I had no time
To spread a word of cheer
No time to speak of Christ to friends,
They'd laugh at me I'd fear.

No time, no time, too much to do,
That was my constant cry.
No time to give to souls in need,
But at last.....there is time to die.

I went before the Lord,
I came, I stood with downcast eyes,
For in His hands God held a book,
It was the book of life.

God looked into his book and said,
"Your name I cannot find,
I once was going to write it down...
But never found the time."

(author unknown)

Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. (Isa 40:31 NASB)

Mark Lim