Have you got a spot? Not a spot on your dress. A spot that you go to everyday to meet with the Lord. A spot where sweet communion is exchanged between you and Christ. I have a spot. My spot is in our sofa recliner.  There beside my recliner I keep my Bible, journal, and a pen. Years ago I struggled with my spot.  Then, I realized that the more I commune with Christ the more I will not miss regularly being at my spot.

The story is told of a woman having company over for dinner. She worked all day on a delicious meal. Somewhere around the middle of the afternoon she realized how hungry she was.  Since she missed lunch, she decided to enjoy a Snickers Bar around 4:00 to hold her over until her guests arrived around 6:00. It did the trick. She was no longer hungry; however, the problem it created was that she no longer had an appetite for her wonderfully prepared dinner. She picked at her plate while everyone else enjoyed her deliciously prepared dishes. ~ Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World p. 69

Our physical bodies hunger and thirst for food and drink, and our soul hungers and thirsts for God’s presence. Just as it is possible to bloat our bodies with empty calories and carbs, we can also find ways to pacify our spiritual cravings without really getting the nourishment we need. We can fill up on spiritual snicker bars while all the time our souls are starving for want of real spiritual food. Our spiritual hunger gets fulfilled by having personal devotions every day which includes Bible study and prayer.

Prayer is simply me speaking to God.  It’s a personal conversation.  God speaks to me through the reading of His Word, and I speak to God through prayer.  It’s a conversation between us. The more I talk with God, the more I want to talk with God. Jesus had a prayer life. Matthew 26:36-46 tells us that He went to Gethsemane to pray.  These verses explain that He fell on His face and prayed. He desired to do the Father’s will. If Jesus had a prayer life, how much more do we need a regular time to talk with our Heavenly Father.  

1. Wait on the Lord.  Sit ye here (vs. 26) We live in a world that expects texts  and emails to be answered immediately.  We must learn to sit and wait on the Lord.  
2. Share your deepest emotion with Him. Verse 37  tells us that Jesus began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Jesus always listens and understands. He  doesn’t accuse me or remind me that He told me so.  
3. Be humble.  Jesus   fell on his face (vs. 39).  There are times when I get on my knees to pray.  
4. Ask for God’s will to be done. Not as I will, but  as thou wilt (vs. 39).
5. Continue to pray. What, could ye not watch with me   one hour (vs. 41)
6. There is an answer to your prayer.  It is yes, no, or not now.  Sleep on now, and take your rest:  behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands     of sinners. vs. 45 When you receive your answer, trust God. He never makes a mistake.  He knows, He cares,  and He will be with you.

I find it extremely helpful to keep a prayer journal. Sometimes when I can’t think of anything to talk to the Lord about, when I open my journal, it reminds me of many things that I need to talk to Him about. Allow me give you a few suggestions of who to list in your prayer journal. Remember, your prayer journal should be very practical. It doesn’t have to be long or too detailed. Allow it to grow as you grow in your intimacy with the Lord.

1. Pray for each member of your family.  List a few things that are personal.  A few suggestions are to live godly, to do God’s perfect will, to balance home and work.
2. Pray for extended family.  List their names. Ask God to save them and to help them to grow spiritually.  
3. Pray for your pastor and the staff of your church.  Ask God to give them spiritual insight, godly wisdom and direction.
4. List some missionaries that your church supports.  Ask God to protect them from disease, to keep them safe and to keep their families spiritually in tune with God.
5. List the names of your closest friends. Ask God to help your friendship to be uplifting. Name a struggle that each friend might have and ask God to help them grow spiritually through the struggle.
6. Continue with different areas and people who are physically sick, church members, services of your church and however the Lord leads.  

This is your time to speak to the God who spoke the world into existence.  He will hear you. The LORD will hear when I call unto him. Psalm 4:3. Bible study is simply God speaking to me.  Have a plan for reading. It keeps your focus and helps you to maintain an orderly conversation. Our church uses a plan for our discipleship groups called F260 Reading Plan by Robby Gallaty.  There are several different ones.  

 I love not having to search for what to read next.  Just go to the plan and check off the next box.  After reading the chapter, choose averse and follow the HEAR method. Highlight a verse.  Write it out in your journal.  Explain the verse by writing what you think it means in context.  Apply the verse to your personal life.  Respond with a short prayer or praise.  This HEAR journal will help you to remember what you read, thus growing spiritually is the result.

In Robert Munger’s book, My Heart Christ’s Home, Jesus said to Munger, “The trouble with you is this: You have been thinking of the quiet time, of the Bible study and prayer time, as a factor in your own spiritual progress, but you have forgotten that this hour means something to Me also.” Munger then started looking at his devotional time in a whole new way, not as a ritual, but as a relationship.  

A relationship with Christ does not just happen, it must be nurtured.  Have you got a spot for your personal quiet time with the Lord? If not, you need to find a spot to commune with Christ. He is waiting in your spot for you to come and dine on spiritual food with Him. Meet Christ in your spot today!

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