Getting Alone With God - Joe and Becky Cruse
In this month's article Becky and I would like to address one of questions that usually arises in every conference. The first question asked is, "How do you personally find time to get alone with God?" Great question. The Bible says, "... there is nothing new under the sun," and when dealing with the struggles of the local church, we do seem to go around the same mountains. The challenges of ministry are varied, but the solution is still the same. We must approach these challenges with the understanding of who God is and who we are in Him, and the only way to get to know Him is to spend time with Him. Time management is always difficult, but it is not impossible.
When the majority of our time is spent ministering or helping others, finding personal time to get alone with God can become a bit overwhelming and unrealistic. The answer is a simple one, but the practice of it is not so simple. Serving others takes many hours out of our lives. Yes, we love what we do, but to set aside alone time with God is a challenge. People are always pulling on you, demanding this and that, so you must establish a habit of getting alone with God. Webster's defines a habit as "a settled, regular tendency or practice; one that is hard to give up." Some habits are good and some habits can be bad. To establish good personal habits of worship, prayer, and growing in God is a lofty goal for all believers, whether you are in vocational ministry or just a regular person with a "real job." (Sorry, couldn't resist!)
Many people like to wait until the end of the day, grab their Bibles, and unwind with God. My time alone with the Lord is at the beginning of each day, early in the morning. Proverbs 8:17 says, "I love those who love me, and those who seek me early and diligently shall find me." If I wait, or try to do it later in the day, something always comes up. By getting up early, I like to establish the ground rules for the day.
God excels in an atmosphere permeated with worship and praise. Psalm 22:3 (AMP) says, ?"...You are holy, O You Who dwell in [the holy place where] the praises of Israel [are offered]. He wants to inhabit your world, to change the atmosphere of your world. Allowing Him to establish the ground rules for what is happening changes everything. Give the Lord control of your world, and do it with worship. Make this declaration, "praise will rule my world."
I try to encourage our IFTA
(instituteforthearts.com)students to make their personal devotions with the Lord a priority. The demands of school life, coupled with working, rehearsals, and serving in the house of the Lord, are challenges that will present themselves repeatedly throughout their lives. If they can discipline themselves to prioritize their time and establish good habits of worship and prayer early on, they are well on their way to longevity in their personal journey of discipleship and will lead others more effectively.
Even the gospels record Jesus looking for "solitary places" to retreat to, though the crowds always seemed to find Him. I have always said it like this, "Who you are in private, is who you are in public." In other words, your personal habits (good or bad) are revealed in the public setting. If you worship privately, your public worship is a reflection of that.
Let me close by saying this; make your personal time with God a priority. Getting alone with Him early in the morning will set the atmosphere, establish the ground rules for the day, and praise will be your song!
If you have any questions you would like to have discussed here on Song Discovery, please contact us at
worshipworksmin@aol.com or you can drop us a note on our blog,
joeandbeckycruse.com.
Blessings,
Pastor Joe and Becky Cruse
