Every moment spent with God is amazing, simply because we commune with the almighty God of the universe who loves us very much.
Yet, just like any other relationship we have, it also requires that both parties be on the giving side: God longs for you, but do you long for Him?
To help you enhance your quiet times with God, here are a few things that you can do.
1. Long for More of God and Less of You
The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 16:24 that if anyone wants to follow Him, self-denial is necessary. The same goes for having an intimate longing with God.
When we spend time with the Lord, we all need to have less of ourselves: We need to stop doing other things that entertain us (put that smartphone down), we must let our words be few (see Psalm 37:7; Ecclesiastes 5:1-2), and let His Word be the one that fills the time. We all need to learn to want more of God, and not ourselves.
2. Prepare For It
The Bible tells us that we can now freely come to God through Jesus. While God is definitely approachable if you are in Christ, all of us must remember one important thing: God is definitely and absolutely holy.
The book of Esther tells us that before young Esther met the king, she had to go through a rigorous beautification process: six months with myrrh oils, another six months with perfumes, and a choice of beautiful clothes and accessories. It was only after this that she was taken to the king to meet him. (see Esther 2:12-13)
Esther's meeting with the king should inspire us to honour God even more. The one we meet with on a daily basis is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Like Esther, we must prepare to meet our King Jesus: with humble confession of our sin, humble recognition of His holiness, and humble efforts to live our lives for His pleasure. Let's start honouring our loving Father as God the holy and righteous Judge.
3. Get Enough Rest
In our busy world, some of us would consider a good night's sleep a luxury, but that's not how God designed it to be. He designated 12 hours each for day and night, and one day per week to rest. He knows the importance of rest and sleep, that's why He sustains us. (see Psalms 3:5, 4:8)
A good sleep enables our bodies to recover from the day's exhaustion. Have you ever talked to a person who was so sleepy that that person would fail to hear your voice? If you have, then you know how it feels.
Ask yourself: Would you want to do that to God?
My friend, give rest to yourself, if only for the purpose of meeting God while still fresh in the morning. Working too long and hard, then cramming God into the schedule simply says that He's not that important to you. And meeting Him while sleepy makes you miss out on what He's saying to you.
