Thankful God is Quiet-Spoken
My Father, thank You that You are Quiet-spoken. In this noisy world, where so many people are raising their voices in order to BE HEARD, You LOWER Yours. You search for those who seek to hear. Give us the desire to slow down and actually choose to take the time to listen for Your voice. “..a still small voice.” I Kings 19:11b-12
“As I come to Your word each morning, Father, help me to lay aside those things that would distract me and help me to rest in your goodness as I focus on You.” (Encounter with God)
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” – Mark 1:35
Morning people
Jesus got up early. Maybe you are not a morning person. Maybe you wake up slowly. Maybe it’s hard for you to concentrate in the early mornings. Could it be that you forgot that your morning actually begins the night before?
If we stay up too late for whatever noble or selfish reason, we simply will not be our best for our Tea Time with our Best Friend, Jesus. And the longer we go without time in our Bible and prayer, the easier it is to just NOT start our day with Him at all.
Discipline
The Apostle Paul worked hard at personal discipline. Redeem the time because the days are evil. Put the armor on and stand strong against the enemy who wants to keep you away from the peace that comes from a close relationship with your Lord Jesus.
Neither toddlers, teenagers, or senior citizens like that “nasty” word (discipline). But, in order to be our best in these uncertain times, we simply MUST have a close relationship with our Savior and Lord. And that begins the night before with our bed time.
GIGO
What we do just before we hop into bed is important for our mental and spiritual ability to rest. I am reminded of a blast from the past term: GIGO (It’s a computer term = Garbage In, Garbage Out”) Let’s stop and think for a moment. Exactly what are we allowing to pour into our minds? Are we intentional? Are we actually polluting our minds with “garbage”? What we “program” in is what will spew out one way or another. And what we allow into our minds just before bed actually affects our sleep AND our attitudes when we awaken. GIGO.
Seek peace
If we stay up too late, chances are our next day will begin rushed and we will feel disconnected. That’s because we probably are. It’s probably difficult to concentrate. Perhaps we even skipped the time with God or simply rushed it. If we want a good night’s sleep, what we put into our mind especially before sleep, matters! GIGO.
Perhaps we might choose to open up the Psalms. Psalm 100 would be a great last thing to speak out before sleep. Isn’t it wonderful to know that you can relax in order to sleep, because…
God has the night watches…
He cherishes time with you. He watches over you always. Even while you sleep. “He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber or sleep.” (Psalm 121: 3-4)
Diet / Nourishment
Junk food or sugar or caffeine before trying to sleep really does work against the way we function best. Rather, try a cup of warm chamomile tea or a bit of protein, and a glass of water with a 1/4 teaspoon of salt in it before sleep. (Weird to you? I just heard that it is actually good for stabilizing the body’s functions as you sleep.).
DECIDE when to end your day
This is one of the smartest things you can do as a devoted follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Controlling your bedtime may be a simple measure you could take to develop a richer devotional life.” (Anchor devotional)
It is a great way to begin your next day well!
A Quiet-Spoken Prayer
Dear, dear Father,
Help us to make time with You each morning a priority. A decision. Then, give us the grace to listen for Your Quiet-spoken voice amidst the noisy distractions that are demanding to be heard!. We know that at any moment you may Come Lord Jesus!
You are speaking. Will we DECIDE to take the time to listen?
Until next time,
KLU GIB
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Experiencing God’s Love from A-Z
Pamela Taylor invites you to join her in this interactive acrostic devotional designed to draw you into the extremely personal and abundant love God has waiting for you.
