Creating a Relationship Takes Time

Think of the person or persons closest to you.  Who do you know the best in all the world?  Who knows you best?  Could you tell me all about them?  I’m sure you could.  I could talk for several hours about my son, my husband, my mother, and several of my dearest friends.  I can tell you what they like to eat, what they will never eat, what they want out of life, what their greatest fears are.  You know how I know them so well?  Because I’ve spent time with them.  Hours upon hours.  We talk, we write, we listen, we laugh, and sometimes we simply sit comfortably together without talking at all.

Now, for the person that you are the closest to today, how much time a day do you spend with them?  It’s likely a significant amount.

I believe that one reason I get along with my husband so well is because we spend a little over an hour every morning chatting over coffee.  I feel a little “off” on days when we are rushed or something happens when we don’t get our coffee time.

Do you know what we do when we are drinking our coffee?  He talks, I listen.  I talk, he listens.  (At least most of the time…)  Without the give and take of communication, our relationship wouldn’t grow, and we wouldn’t know one another as well as we do.  Just as it takes a significant time investment to create a close human relationship, we need to invest time to create a close and intimate relationship with God.

We see again and again in the Bible where God desires us to spend time with Him.  Isn’t that hard to believe?  In James 4:8a, we are told to draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.  The Creator of the universe desires for us to reach out to him and in return, he reaches out for us!  And it’s not a “part-time” request.  We see this both in 1 Chronicles 16:11: Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! and again in 1 Thessalonians 5:17: Pray without ceasing.

Drawing near to others to build a relationship is a two-part process.  We talk and we listen.  Similarly, we commit to a deeper relationship with God only if we do the same:  by talking (through prayer) and by listening (through the Word).

If you’ve been keeping track of your time in prayer and in the Bible as suggested on day two of this challenge, look back over the time you’ve spent with God.  Is the time you selected working out?  Are you seeing a desire to lengthen that time?  Is your schedule molding around those most precious and most valuable moments?  It is our prayer that this happens.  It is our hope that you choose to move things around, cut things out, and eliminate the unnecessary in order to spend more time with your heavenly Father.  We see in Christ’s example that it was His priority on earth as well.  And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed (Mark 1:35).

Let us use his example; let us rise before dawn and cry for help.  Let us find hope in His Word (Psalm 119:147).

Today’s Challenge:  Think over the time you spend in prayer and in the Word.   Evaluate your consistency through the past ten days. Are there changes you need to make?