Time Alone With God A 4-Day Plan by Donna PryorEsimerkki

Reshaping Your Approach to Spending Time with God

Early in my Christian journey, I struggled with the concept of “quiet time” with God. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to do it; it just felt overwhelming. The idea that I would sit and wait to hear God speak to me freaked me out. What if I didn’t hear anything? Does that mean I’m not doing it right? Does that mean God doesn’t want to talk to me? Talk about a blow to my already borderline low self-esteem.

The enemy takes all the fears and misconceptions we experience in the world and makes us think they are true to God. Not so! I had to change my thought process to wrap my head around what quiet time was. In doing so, I had to change its name. Instead of quiet time, I call it a Divine Date. Dates are special times you spend with those you care about and those who care about you. You look forward to a date, whether it is with a significant other, an old friend you cherish, or a new acquaintance you want to get to know better. That’s how I feel about my dates with God. This makes it less intimidating and allows me to come into the encounter with transparency and expectancy.

In Matthew 6:6, Jesus models how we should approach God in prayer.

“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:6, NKJV)

This verse can be broken down into four parts:

The Expectation – He says when you pray, not if. God expects us to come to Him in prayer.

The Instruction – Go into your room and shut the door. This is a private and intimate moment.

The Act – Pray to your Father who is in the secret place. He models this in Matthew 6:9-13.

The Promise – He sees you in that secret place and will reward you openly. He will answer your prayers!

Whether you are a new acquaintance or an old friend of God, He is waiting for you in that secret place to love on you, to have a date with you. He wants to hear what’s on your heart. He hears and sees you and will bless you.

How can you reshape your time alone with God?