Spending Time with God

Throughout His Word, God promises to always be with me, so I know that He always is. (See Matthew 28:20 or Joshua 1:9, for example). However, I am not always actively aware of His presence. It is possible to be in the same room as someone without spending time with them; even without noticing them. How often do we do with with God?

Psalm 100:3 (ESV) says:

Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Imagine sheep not paying attention to their shepherd. They will soon find themselves in a difficult situation.

Spending Time Away with God

Earlier this year, I had an opportunity to get away by myself overnight. I knew I would benefit from a relaxing time away from my usual schedule while spending time with God as I usually would. I also knew that "times of refreshing" come from the presence of the Lord (see Acts 3:20) and the Lord "restores my soul" (Psalm 23:3). I decided this rare period outside of my normal routine and environment would be most fruitful if used to spend time with God intentionally.

Unsure of what this would look like in practice, I packed many of the things I use in my quiet time at home and an overnight bag. By the time I arrived and settled in I was tired so I prayed and went to sleep.

I woke up very early the next morning and had an extended period of worship with singing and dancing before the Lord. I had more space and freedom to move. I did not need to consider a sleeping family or getting ready for a busy day.

While getting ready I joined a morning prayer meeting my schedule does not usually allow. I took a book on prayer and my notebook to meals in the hotel and enjoyed spending time with God in a different environment. It took a little while to feel comfortable doing something in a public space I would usually do privately but it was a beautiful experience. I would do it again. Back in my hotel room, I spent more time with God throughout the day.

I have been blessed to experience going on a Christian retreat to spend days away with God. I have now also experienced 24 hours with God in a city hotel. I treasure these times with God and want to incorporate them into my life regularly. We can make space to spend time with God in different but meaningful ways without necessarily going away. Here are some ways to spend time with God that can be incorporated into many people's routines.

Spend Time with God

Walk and Talk with God

As it sounds, a prayer walk involves walking and praying at the same time. I may happen to pray as I walk but this is more intentional. The purpose of the walk is to pray rather than prayer being an incidental addition.

I have interceded for my neighbours, borough or city as I walk through my local areas. This is a good way to prayer walk but here I am focusing on taking a walk to develop our relationship with God. Here are some tips:

Plan the route or don't! You may prefer quieter routes rather than busy high streets to avoid distractions. As you walk avoid stopping off anywhere and have your phone on silent or leave it behind. Make this time exclusively about spending time with God. You could pray as you normally would or only about your relationship with God. You could ask God in advance or as you start walking, "What should we talk about today?". When you pray, always expect to hear from God and for the Holy Spirit to direct your prayers.

Psalm 100:4 (ESV) tells us to

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!"

So start by praising and thanking God with words. It can also be good to sing or listen to songs that worship God as you walk.

Some people may feel self-conscious talking or singing while passing other people. In my experience, people usually pay no attention or assume you are on the phone. Even if they wonder what you are doing, they will likely forget about you in a few moments. Maybe they will notice the presence of God as you pass each other. Either way, try to focus more on God than what others may or may not be thinking about you.

As soon as your walk is over, write detailed notes of the experience. You may think you did all the talking and did not hear from God but as you write you may see where the Holy Spirit directed the conversation. Write down or look up any Scripture you thought about while you walked and schedule time to look into these further. Schedule another walk with God.

Eat Out With God

Book a table at a restaurant or visit a cafe. Bring your journal and write a letter of worship to God or let Him know what is on your heart. Put your phone away and spend time in silence listening to God and being aware of His presence. Thank God for the food, drink and all the ways He cares and provides for you.

Another way to do this is to pack a picnic and sit in the park with your lunch, a snack or a flask. Being in nature can inspire us to worship God (see Psalm 19:1-4).

Worship Hour

Have a worship hour. Some of us sing songs of worship as part of our devotion. Some of us only sing to God in church. Maybe we listen to or sing some gospel music as we go about our day, but rarely give God our full attention as we listen.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing - Psalm 100:1-2 ESV

The Bible has an entire book of songs to God. There are 150 Psalms in the Bible all written to be sung. Singing is an important dimension of our faith, whether we are tuneful or not. If this is not part of your devotion, schedule time perhaps once a week, to sing to God. Make a playlist in a music app or write a list of songs you know at least fairly well and feel express your heart to God. Find the lyrics if you need to and save or print them in advance. You can even make songs up. They do not need to be recording studio-worthy, they only need to be heartfelt and Spirit-led.

Singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts - Ephesians 5:19 NLT

You can ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to some songs then write down any songs you find yourself singing over the next few days. This preparation can be fun. You may not get through all the songs you have listed but that is not the point. As you sing linger in each song or over a song line as long as necessary. If possible, have space to move around to dance, kneel or lay before the Lord as you worship. If a worship hour sounds uncomfortable, give it a go and before long you will find you look forward to it.

Of course, it does not have to be an hour. Find time when you can. Schedule it where possible to prioritise it, or keep this activity in mind for a spontaneous worship hour.

Travel Down Memory Lane

Reminiscing about our past with someone can help us find joy with them in the present. Do you record your conversations with God or prayer requests using journals or other means? If so, schedule some time to go through these notes with God. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your attention as you review what you have written. Ask Him speak to you about these in a new way, or remind you of something that needs further study. This can also work with sermon notes. It is good to routinely review these writings because we cannot remember all we have written.

This post called The Problem with Disappointment came from a review of my notebooks.

Blessing in Action: Spending Time with God

Consider how you can spend time with God to develop your relationship with Him outside your usual routine. Schedule at least one of the above activities, or something else.

If you would like, comment or send me a message about how you get on. I look forward to hearing from you!