Making Time For God

“These words which I command you today shall be in your heart.”

~Deuteronomy 6:6

“You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

~Deuteronomy 6:8-9

I heard on the news yesterday morning that the new Google Watch (a mini computer with all the same features of your larger tablet) is about to hit the market. They are available for pre-order as of today. One woman interviewed for the report said, “Personally, I think it’s kind of silly. It’s just another way of reminding yourself how much money you have to blow.” I couldn’t agree with her more. As a culture, we seem to be constantly reminding ourselves and others of our wealth, our positions, our place in society.

Wouldn’t it be better to remind ourselves of who we are in HIS KINGDOM?

Did you know that Orthodox Jewish men and women sometimes wrap themselves up in the Word of God, quite literally. They do this to remind themselves of His promises to them and of their commitment to Him. They bind themselves with Phylacteries, more often called Tefillin, small leather boxes in which they hide slips of paper inscribed with very specific scripture from the Torah. Traditionally, these Tefillin are strapped to the left arm and/or around the head with leather straps. Ordinarily, they’re worn during morning prayers and are meant to focus the mind and heart on service and devotion to God.

Even as a non-Jew I can certainly respect and appreciate this ritual. I have rituals of my own I use to focus my attention on Him. I listen to worship songs; I read devotional books. And, even though I’m not a Catholic, I often use a rosary—or prayer beads—to help me remember my many blessings and all the things I need to be grateful for.

And, I’m not alone.

I have a friend who collects angel figurines. When she needs to focus upon the Lord, she pulls them down from the shelf and places them near herself while she prays. She calls them her, “Cheering Section”.

I have another friend who has an entire room in her house dedicated to prayer. In this room there is a library of Bibles, devotional helps, prayer books and journals. In her prayer room, my friend Gladys, has a collection of “prayer blankets”—quilts and shawls that she can wrap herself up with so she can: “feel God’s arms around me”. She has Christian prayer themed posters and pictures on the walls and a massive CD collection of worship music, lectures and audio Bible study lessons to keep her entirely focused on Him. She spends at least two hours a day, in her prayer room, with the Lord. 

 

          I don’t think it’s necessary for all of us to go that far. Even though I love the idea of her prayer room, I have neither the extra room in my house for it or the time to use it. It wouldn't work for me...but, it does work for her.

 

         What I do think is necessary for all of us is to find something or some way to focus on God—every day—even if it’s just for a few minutes a day; to find a way to remind ourselves of His promises to us and our commitment to Him.

 

          I DO realize that's hard to do. I don’t know about you but, I’m so busy some days it makes my head spin. I can’t always find a whole hour to sit and pray or read my Bible or study. Between taking the grandkids back and forth to school, helping with homework, cleaning, cooking and all the other things I do that go along with being a stay-at-home-Grammy, and just trying to breathe…there’s not always a lot of time for anything else.

 

Yet, there’s always time for the things you put first and if anyone deserves to be first in our lives, it’s God.

In my schedule, I try to carve out a few minutes for Him every day. It's not always a lot, but I make sure to give Him at least 15 minutes of my time each day. Can you do the same? Can you do more?

If you can manage a full hour, fabulous! You’re a better engineer of time that I could ever be. But, if you're like me and can only do a half an hour, 20 minutes or even just 10 minutes a day...that's okay. Do what you can. Use what tools you need. Put yourself alone with Him however and whenever it works best for you. Spend some time in His Word. Spend some time in conversation with Him. Thank Him for your many blessings and share your concerns with Him. Get to know the Lord as a friend, as a care-taker…as your Father.

God asks of us to keep His Words in our hearts, to keep them before our eyes and on our minds. We can bind ourselves up with them literally with Tefillin… or, we can read them. Meditate on them. Learn them.

LIVE THEM

It's your choice to make.