Scriptural Foundation:
Psalm 46:10-11 King James Version (KJV)
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
Exodus 3:5 New International Version (NIV)
“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
Exodus 14:13-14 King James Version (KJV)
And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
Reflection:
The silence is deafening…I don’t know about you, but daily meditation on the Word of God is a workout in-and-of itself. It doesn’t matter the time of day, when it gets quiet, that is when my mental to-do list starts rolling. I have a million and one things that I am thinking about at any given moment. Always…always with a sinking feeling that I am forgetting something when things are running too smoothly. Can you relate?
So, with one’s mind always conducting an audit, how can we really focus in on what the Lord is telling us? Although these things at some point needs to get done, it is not as important as the daily instructions we receive from the Lord (whether we are listening or not) that is getting drowned out by this constant mental dialogue. As a result, the only way to obtain these daily instructions is shut off the mind and focus in more on what the Holy Spirit is saying. How?
For me, it has been going old school-limiting electronics during my devotional time. Years ago, I started using my phone for playing worship music or looking up scripture quickly – all good things. At the same time, there were text messages, emails, and task reminders. Recognizing the distraction, I shifted back to a regular digital clock for time management; I now use CD or MP3 players for worship; and lastly, a pad of paper for study notes and then a different smaller pad of paper for thoughts that pop up that is not related to the task at hand. I went so far as breaking out my concordance for looking up scriptures.
Making these slight adjustments has “slowed down” my devotional time. For example, instead of looking it up on my phone, I take time to finding the scripture that the Lord puts on my heart in my concordance – it makes the process more methodical and I get so much more out of the seeking process. Don’t get me wrong, outside my devotional time quick look ups are essential to get me through the day. However, our daily communion time with the Lord should be treated a little differently… essentially a distraction free zone.
Like Abraham approaching the burning bush in Exodus, saints, we should treat our devotional time with the Lord as a sacred time and space. Despite the distractions, always strive to create this atmosphere of habitation with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, you will never be disappointed.
Seeking Revelation:
Grab your notebook:
- Identify things/habits that may be disturbing your devotional time.
- Think of ways that you can minimize these distractions – it may require a sacrifice on your part.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to help you with this process.
- Periodically audit your devotional time to make sure you are putting first things first.