I have vivid memories of my Mum reading her Bible every morning. No matter how early I staggered out to the kitchen, Mum would be there, in her dressing gown with her Bible, reference books and concordances, and prayer list studying God’s Word and praying. She was a tremendous example to me of a godly woman, who meditated on God’s Word and talked with her Lord whom she loved.

What does our devotional life look like? Theoretically and theologically, we know devotions are important and yet time slips through our fingers. Days can go by without us spending time with our Lord. God also requires more of us than a quick read of his Word and a rote prayer before we are up and off about our busy day. Nancy Leigh de Moss in her devotional book¹ wrote this:

Do you know what it is to have devotions without having devotion? I do. We carry out the routine of reading our Bibles and saying our prayers without truly cultivat­ing a love relationship with Christ. We’re busy with a multitude of spiritual activi­ties, yet we’ve lost perspective of whom we’re serving – and why.

Instead of doing “devotions” we become devotionless. We are not to just go through the motions but we are to spend time forgetting all else and fo­cussing on God and his Word. We need silence and solitude to truly spend time with God; however, we live in a world of almost constant noise and distraction. The radio blares, the TV babbles, the cellphone beeps, our email pings, the baby cries, the young adult yells; each demanding our attention and driving out the quiet voice of God’s Spirit. Oh how we long for a time and place to spend in quietness and solitude but so often we allow noise, distractions and the internet to take over and destroy what would have been a precious time with the Lord.

Donald S. Witney writes:²

Without exception, the men and women I have known who make the most rapid, con­sistent, and evident growth in Christ­likeness have been those who develop a daily time of being alone with God. This daily devotional habit is not easy to develop because we lead busy lives and have an Enemy aware of the stakes involved. Missionary martyr Jim Elliot knew of the battle: ‘I think the devil has made it his business to monopolise on three elements: noise, hurry, crowds ... Satan is quite aware of the power of silence.’

So let’s try and carve out some silent time in our lives and meditate on God’s Word. Sometimes we might think that we can survive on the preaching on Sunday alone, but to grow and mature we need more than that. We need God’s Word nourishing us, feeding us and wa­tering us regularly. When we haven’t been reading our Bible on a daily basis, we find ourselves easily distracted and spending time unwisely; on Facebook instead of praying, or perusing the news­paper instead of reading the Bible. Then other areas in our lives start to become unstuck. We may become impatient with the children, narky with our husband or selfish, unkind and ... the list goes on. We can become very weak very quickly. Oh, feeble and pathetic humans that we are! God’s Word really does change lives. It revives, strengthens and encourages us. It humbles, convicts and reminds us of the great love that Christ has for us.

Before we look at different ways that we might use to spend time with Jesus Christ, remember that there is no con­demnation for those who are in Him.³ This means no beating ourselves up with guilt, or feeling bad when we haven’t been able to spend time today, or this week, or that we feel like we have messed up yet again. When my children were young, (which, when you have several children, seems to stretch on for a very long time) finding time for any kind of personal devotion seemed impossible. I was either busy with little children or so tired, that, if I sat for more that 30 seconds I was almost guaranteed to drop off to sleep. Even as the children became older, life still seemed too busy to fit in a per­sonal devotional time. Be encouraged to keep going, start again, to pick yourself up ‘off the floor’ and carry on. In fact, as I was writing this article this month, I really struggled with finding and making time for my devotions, but I am now en­couraged to keep going.

Having established the need to spend time in silence and solitude how, practi­cally, can we achieve this?

Get Up Early⤒🔗

Simple answer. For some people, like my dear late mother, this may be less of a struggle than for others. Even if you get up early one morning a week, starting the day by spending time with God is such a blessing.⁴ It takes discipline to begin, but it will become a habit and a pattern of life that you will not want to do without.

Carpe Diem←⤒🔗

Many years ago, I had a sign on the no­tice-board in my kitchen that said “Carpe Diem”. Although this translates as “Seize the Day”, for me it reminded me to “Seize the Moment.” When children are small, it seems life is an endless list of tasks to do, little people to cuddle and nights spent awake. However, it is surprising how often there are moments when the baby is asleep and the toddlers are playing peacefully, and all is quiet. Seize the Moment and grab your Bible. The Word of God can refresh and revi­talise like nothing else, and will help us to get through those rough days. Having verses to memorise written up on cards and placed on the kitchen window sill or the back of the toilet door can help us focus to spend time thinking about the verse(s). Have a Bible in the car so you can Seize the Moment during piano lessons, soccer games and ballet practice. If the children are at catechism or Cadets, Seize the Moment. Many women take their babies for walks in the stroller or in later years take up walking for exercise. We can use this time to pray and to meditate on a portion of God’s Word. Memorise Scripture so that you have the Word of God at your “finger tips”.

It is also amazing how much prayer can be done with your hands in the sink, when hanging out the washing, or on the bus/train to work. The thing is to capture every thought, Seize the Moment or to put it another way, Redeem the Time.

Read through the Bible Yourself←⤒🔗

There are a number of Reading Plans that enable you to read through the Bible in a year or two. McCheyne’s⁵ Bible Reading Plan will get you through the Bible in a year and the Psalms and the New Testament twice. You could read one column yourself and maybe include the other readings in family de­votions, reading to the children or with your husband. I have often marveled at the relevance of the particular reading for that day to my life, even though the list was put together approximately 150 years ago. This is the Lord’s providence and His wonderful supply. The Psalms in particular are often helpful when you are tired, stressed or depressed. They are generally short (you can read Ps 119 in sections) and the authors knew about suffering and “going down into the pit” and yet, they also express the greatness of our God to bless, rescue and sustain us. Throughout the Psalms, the Psalm­ist delights in God’s word. He meditates on it, thinks about it, learns from it and obeys it. He is nourished, encouraged, and led by it. When sorrows⁶ come, the Word strengthens, and comforts him. When temptations knock, it guards his heart⁷ and mind so that he will know what displeases God and not do it! And so it is for us too.

Meditate on God’s Word←⤒🔗

This kind of meditation isn’t some scary eastern religious practice, rather it is care­fully reflecting on God’s Word,⁸ letting it really sink into us and allowing it do its good work in our lives. For example; several years ago, I spent a number of weeks meditating on the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, one phrase at a time. I started with “Our Father” and thought about what that meant and how that applied to me, as a Christian. This concept of “Father” was a struggle for me, because I am adopted and don’t know my birth father and my adopted “Dad”, though a godly man, seemed distant in my youth. I was really able to focus on how God is my heavenly father, and my preconceptions, false ideas and experiences needed to be put aside as I was confronted with biblical truths about God being my Father. As I meditated, week by week, on each phrase, and studied similar passages, I understood the Lord’s Prayer in a way that was deep and profound and still affects me to this day.

So meditate on the Scriptures. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand them, and for the Word of God to really take root in your soul so that, as the Psalmist said, “I may not sin against you.” The best way to be able to identify anything that may lead us from the path that God has set before us, is to have the Word of God firmly and deeply rooted in us, and to continue to be washed by His Word.

Read Devotional Books⁹ ←⤒🔗

These can be useful in addition to reading the Bible. Be sure to choose a good author. I am currently using Nancy Leigh de Moss’s book, The Quiet Place and I have found her writing and in­sights very helpful.

Study the Bible Together←⤒🔗

If you are attending a Bible study group you can spend time during the week, studying the text and getting to know the passage well. Use the cross-refer­ences in the margins and concordanc­es at the back of your Bible to gain a better insight into the text. Follow the ‘rabbit trail’ of where certain words are used in different verses to gain a deeper understanding.

So, I encourage you to Seize the Moment. Meditate on God’s Word, let it sink deeply into your heart. Pray a lot. Spend time with your Lord Jesus Christ. Cultivate a love relationship with Him. Glorify God and enjoy Him. Have devoted devotions.