LHM Daily Devotions April 17, 2020 - "Time Spent with God"

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"Time Spent with God"

April 17, 2020

(The LORD said) "Call to Me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known."

— Jeremiah 33:3, ESV

Some friends and I went fishing at a river.

After we had gathered to begin our trip, one of my friends requested that one of our party, a pastor friend, invoke the Name of the Lord. He requested we call upon the Lord to ask His protection for our trip.

With the respectful silence of everybody, the pastor did as he had been asked. We all wanted to get to fishing, but we felt it more important to ask God to be our unseen Friend, Guardian, and Leader on the trip.

To invoke the holy Name of God is to pray, praise, and thank Him in all situations. It is a joyful task Christians are encouraged and should be glad to do.

Of course, there are those of us who say we simply don't have the time to do as the Lord has asked.

The truth is if we are too busy to pray, we are too busy.

Now if you are saying, "Pastors don't have a clue as to the number of things we have to fit into our days, the ever-growing number of things which demand our attention."

Well, yes, a goodly share of clergy do understand.

Because we understand I'm providing a number of suggestions.

First, organize your schedule. And when you do, make sure you include some set-aside time for prayer.

Next, organize your priorities by keeping a written list of prayer commitments. Do your best to put your prayer life in a position where it's not always going to be a fund of minutes from which you can borrow to do other less-important and less-pressing matters.

Of course, we're not saying that God's people need to be tied to a specific format. The Scriptural command "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) is the directive that urges us on and the goal to which we aspire.

Even so, the thoughts offered here may be of help in making sure our prayers don't get lost and forgotten in an avalanche of stuff that never leaves us time to approach our Father in heaven. The reality is this. This is the one thing that needs to be done: we, as God's grateful people, should speak faithfully and regularly to our gracious Lord.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, for the love of Jesus and the sacrifice He made so we might be saved, remain with us. Allow us to see Your blessings and give thanks. This I ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

1. Do you make time to regularly pray?

2. Do you think there are things God is just waiting to tell us—if only we would go to Him in prayer?

3. When have you experienced the power of prayer in your life?

This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Egon M. Seibert who has served others through LHM's ministry center in Paraguay. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
Do you make time to regularly pray?