Please read these first:
Part 1
Part 2
If the first of our quiet time needs is to have fellowship with God, how do we accomplish that? Well, how do you have fellowship with anyone else? By talking with them, right?
I think that's how we accomplish fellowship with God, too.
Through prayer.
We talk to Him, and He talks to us.
But I don't think this time of prayer needs to occur in a 10-15 minute window early in the morning before there is any noise in the house. I have become quite confident that God is perfectly able to hear our prayers when our surroundings are not quiet. Yes, He can hear you even when your children are screaming. And if you work on it, I believe you can hear Him, too - even when your children are screaming.
AND, I have become equally confident that God can also pay attention to our prayers even if we're doing some activity besides sitting in a corner with our eyes closed and our hands folded.
In fact, I am becoming more and more convinced that God made women multi-taskers so mothers of young children could have fellowship with Him. Though it took me a while to understand I could do it, now I pray all the time.
When I am walking my boys to school, I'm praying for them.
When I am doing laundry, I pray for the person whose clothes I'm folding.
Whenever I think of my husband, I thank God for him.
When the kids are getting loud, I ask God to help me deal with the noise.
And when I am getting frustrated with them about something, you better believe I am begging God to calm my heart and to give me wisdom.
As I have adopted this practice of praying throughout my day, even when my times aren't quiet, I have enjoyed sweet fellowship with God. I have become increasingly aware of His presence and have surely grown in my love for Him. It has been a very good thing!
Come back tomorrow so we can talk about growing spiritually.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Quiet Times and Motherhood - Part 3
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6 comments:
it's true. I struggle to get up in the morning and feel this incredible guilt because of a "quiet time" I am neglecting. And now my life is nothing close to quiet with 2 toddlers at my feet. And even when they are quiet (ie: sleeping) I'm so tired, I only want to sleep myself, and then there's the incredible guilt of how I should be using that time better, etc, etc.
THANK YOU for your posts...this is a topic I've been dealing with a lot lately, and these posts are very timely.
I totally agree. Sometimes God is never closer than when you are fulfilling His purposes for you. I think He takes care of that for us because we ARE doing exactly what we were designed to do!
Hey, that first comment looks like spam. :-( watch out.
I ABSOLUTELY love your post! I totally agree and don't believe God is constrained by our notions of time or what is "quiet". Great, great post.
I have to wonder if the whole movement of quiet time was developed because WE need it. Definitely easier to feel connected to God when we can focus on it, but the truth is that He's always there, waiting to hear our voices. Very nice post, Karen!
I"m with you! I've been reading about so many bloggers struggling with quiet time, that I blogged some ideas today too.
Thanks for encouraging moms!
I've enjoyed this mini-series you've been writing. You and Chatty Kelly are on the same wave this week. I have SUCH a hard time multi-tasking that I must find quiet time.
An idea kelly had is one I'm going to try. The Bible on tape for when I'm walking. I think even I can walk and listen at the same time!
This is absolutely right on target Karen. I believe the idea of quiet time was an effort to get people to make a concious effort to spend SOME time with God. It is still good, when you can to get alone with God, just like you do with your husband. But in an intimate relationship you spend as much time as possible together, quiet or otherwise, and it grows the intimacy.
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