Tools in my backpack to help me keep a quiet time

Tools in my backpack to help me keep a quiet time

Posted on by Matthew Laker

backpack 640x 427In all of our lives, there are foundational practices that need to be part of the regular rhythm of life.  As I journey with people, often when I ask about people’s quiet time, their head drops or they look away.  They know they need to develop this area but have not.  A few along the journey honestly have never really developed a quiet time in their life.

What is a Quiet time?

 

A quiet time is the intentional regular rhythm of pausing to pray and sit with Jesus.  Often it involves scripture reading but does not always have to.

 

My 3 purposes of a Quite time.

 

a. To provide reflection space in my life to gain a better perspective of myself, circumstances, and Jesus.

 

b. To hear from and listen to the Holy Spirit.

 

c. To align my life with Christ’s

 

There are more, but these are my top three.

 

Developing and practising our quiet time is like going on a hike.  In that journey, there are some useful tools to have in our backpack.

 

Here are four tools I carry in my life that help me in the journey, or rhythm, of a quiet time.

1. Calendar – Set time aside to meet with Jesus.  We do it with everyone else.  You can still have that spur of the moment time.  For example, unplanned times where you find yourself praying or worshiping in music, etc.  You need those, but you also need scheduled times of hitting the pause button in your life.  So find a time that works and do it.

 

2. A Framework – Many people, when starting out, need the assistance of a framework to help them know what to do in this time.  The framework  is just a tool to help you hear from Jesus.  There are many good ones out there. For example Lectio Divina.  Here is an outline you can read to help and you can read a little more about it here.

 

3. A Bible and a journal –  Many people use this time to reflect upon scripture and read scripture.  I suggest having a bible reading plan can be a great help. A journal as well can help you process your thoughts.

 

4. Understand yourself –  It is important to know how you best connect with Jesus.  It is important to know your personality and character and who God calls you to be. There are a number of great tools that can serve as jumping off points to help in this.

 

In my journey of practising a quiet time these are a few of my tools that have proved to be helpful.    It is important as well to also be aware of the space you are in and what your distractions will be.

 

Finally, give yourself some grace.  Just because you missed that one time does not mean the world is going to end or you lose God’s favour.  You already have God’s favour, that is why we want to spend time with him.

 

What tools are in your backpack?

 

What is one step you can do today to develop the rhythm of quiet?

 

What is one tool you need to use to develop the rhythm of your quiet time?

One Tip For Creating Space To Hear From God

Posted on by Matthew Laker

One tip for creating space to hear from God.

IMG_2792The week after writing about the post,“If we do not build an altar to meet with God, he cannot honour us with his fire,” I was struck by the reality that so many of us struggle with, the rhythm of creating space. If Jesus is the source of water in my life, then why do I not drink from that pool?

I cannot remember where I read this comment:The disciplines we have during the good moments will help us during the valleys of life. Forget for a moment what that would look like. What if you just pulled out your schedule, and for the next six weeks, one time a week, you scheduled 30 minutes to build the altar?

In my journey challenges have come from a number of areas. For example, responsibility from work, from family, the need for sleep, bad habits and or bad rhythms already established in my life. And, then there are the excuses we come up with.

In my life when I have not scheduled the time, I have failed to be restored. It has hurt my journey in life. When I do schedule the time, not only do I become grounded in Jesus, I am better husband, father, friend, pastor and person. It is as if God has designed our life in such a way to leak, and this forces us to come to him to be filled. In turn this reminds us of our need for God.

What if over the next six weeks you heard from God? What if you gained a greater or deeper understanding of who God is and what he has done? This is why we schedule our time, to draw from an eternal well and hear from Jesus.

I am just not a calendar person you may say. Maybe, but you seem to find a way to eat food every day.

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water” (John 4:13-15).

Pull out the calendar and plan time to meet with Jesus. Try it just for six weeks and let me know what happens?

Any suggestion on how to use that time? If you are looking for help send me an email: matthew@matthewlaker.com

Go ahead over the next six weeks, plan 30 min. each week to build space to hear from God.

Build an Altar and wait for God’s glory

Posted on by Matthew Laker

If we do not build an altar to meet with God, he cannot honour us with his fire.

 

For many followers of Jesus, we desire to have a relationship with him.  We desire to know the power and experience the presences of God in our life.22943_Set_a_Fire

As we follow Jesus we need to create a set time in our rhythm of life, where we sit sat at the altar to meet with God.

But why?

The simple reason is this:

We are nothing without the presence of God, and nothing is more important than experiencing the glory of God.

If we do not build the altar to meet with God, he cannot honour us with his fire (presence).

We want God to lead and speak in our life, but are we creating space to hear from him? Are we using the lens of scripture to view life circumstances? The building of the altar is a metaphor for creating space to worship and hear from God.

For so many today, we have surrendered to the idol of busyness or exhaustion.  There is no margin (for God) in many people’s lives here in Canada and the western world.  Many followers of Jesus desire to experience renewal, and the presences or power of God in their lives. However, they fail to build alters to meet with him to receive it.

The idea of, and image of an altar has been helpful in my journey with Jesus.  I understand some may struggle with this image, but it is a place, a moment to meet with God.  Yes, God is with me wherever I go.  Yes, I can speak with him throughout the rhythms of life and we need to.  We need to live out the teaching of Romans 12 with our life being laid out on the altar before Jesus.

However, I still believe in the need of altars. But, not in the sense of sin sacrifice for atonement – that is finished in Jesus Christ. What I am speaking of are moments of pause so that we intake the gospel.  It is like in an engine piston.  As it goes up it takes in oxygen and gas.  Then it compress it.  The altar moment is a time where we are taking the gospel in and letting the spirit compress it, then in the Spirits’ timing, he ignites us and power comes.  From there we go and engage the world.

Jesus would often get up early or pull away from the disciples and crowds to seek God the Father.  He reveals to us a pattern, a rhythm to follow in life.

We need to be careful of the idol of religion and not become legalistic.  That is to say if I do this, then God has to burn the altar.  To think that way makes this moment to be about you and not God.  This is not about putting your quarter in, and God comes out.

This is about creating space to worship God, to be reminded about who he is and who I am.  Remembering that nothing is of any use without the presence of God, and nothing is more important than experiencing the glory of God.

But if we do not build the altar to meet with God,  he cannot honour us with his fire (presence).

If we want to see the power of God, we are going to need to build the altar, so he can honour us with his presence.