A CLOSER WALK WITH GOD (PART 1) - PERSONAL QUIET TIME (MATTHEW 14:23)

Dear Members in Christ,

A Closer Walk with God (Part 1) - Personal Quiet Time (Matthew 14:23)

Earlier this year, we had a Church seminar entitled “How to have a Closer Walk with God?” This seminar is based on the subject of the Personal Daily Devotion or a more commonly known term (which is also used interchangeably), the Personal Quiet Time. This is a topic of Christian practice that is scarcely dealt with these days. It is widely assumed that every Christian understands the meaning of a personal quiet time, and an even more overreaching presumption is that every Christian observe their personal quiet time. Thus, we conducted a seminar in order that all our members are given a “refresher” on the biblical principles of daily devotion. The hope and prayer is that if we are all acquainted with this practice, it will help us to grow spiritually, and by the grace of God, we will be enabled to walk close to the Lord. 

So firstly, we look at biblical examples and draw principles from which we can form a daily practice which can help us in our spiritual growth. For this, we read the passage from the Gospel of Matthew.

“And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.” Matthew14:22,23                                                 

This verse shows us an example of the conduct of our Lord Jesus, where He was laboring in the area around Galilee. Even when He was in the midst of His busy ministry of healing, feeding five thousand, teaching preaching the Gospel of the kingdom; the Lord Jesus took time to be alone to pray. Every believer needs to learn how to spend time with God alone.

A. The practice of Quiet Time – spending time alone with God

We look into the commonly asked questions. What is this practice of Quiet Time? And what do Christians benefit from observing this practice? Firstly, we have the example of the Lord Jesus as a brief definition. Quiet Time is simply time away from the “busy-ness” of life. In the Bible passage above, the Lord Jesus “sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray” Matthew 14:22b-23a. Remember, our Lord Jesus is Omnipotent. The Lord will neither be faint nor weary (Isaiah 40:28). Yet in the midst of the ministry amongst the people, He took time away from the multitudes. Undoubtedly, the multitudes would be clamouring to have the Lord Jesus to heal their sick, to have Him perform miracles, to hear Him teach them from the parables. Yet, the Bible tells us that the Lord Jesus took time to be alone in order to pray.

Communication with God ensures the vitality of the child of God. Every believer ought to dedicate time daily to be in communion with God. Dearly beloved, let us express our desire to be with God by observing a daily quiet time with God. Whether it is reading a portion of the Bible in the morning followed by prayer, or an evening devotional reading before bedtime prayer, time alone with God refreshes us. If it is a quiet time at the start of the day, it prepares us for the trials and challenges for the day. If it is a devotional time later in the day, it is a time for thanksgiving and petitions as we speak to our heavenly Father. Whichever, it is important for a Christian to spend this time alone with God.

B. Our communion with God during our Devotional Time

What is this for the Christian?  What good does it do for us spiritually? The two key elements of quiet time is firstly, prayer, and secondly the reading of the Scriptures. A suggested order for quiet time is:

< >Opening prayer and the confession of sinsReading from a passage of the Bible (using appropriate devotional material e.g. Read-Pray-Grow). A time of meditation – guided by the devotional material Closing prayer with petitions 

The Christian’s devotional time is a time of communion with God. It is time for a two-way communication with our heavenly Father. When we read and meditate upon God’s Word, we are listening to Him. The Holy Spirit of God illumine our hearts with the Word of God and it shows us God’s will for our lives. When we pray to God, we speak to Him, we bring our petitions before Him, and He hears us. This is a time where the Christian is engaged in sweet communion with God. Brothers and sisters, let us not neglect our daily devotion time. However busy we may be, let us resolve to have our daily devotional time. May God bless us with spiritual growth as we read and meditate upon the daily portions of our devotional reading, and may God hear and answer our petitions when we pray during our quiet time. May God be praised. Amen. 

In His Service,
Rev. Lim Seh Beng, Pastor