Presenting ...
... a weekly letter of encouragement.
14 May, 1997 - Singapore
Good Morning!
OVERCOMING SPIRITUAL DRYNESS IN OUR DAILY TIME WITH GOD
Last night a high-energy buddy of mine who lives on air planes
and thrives on the high voltage culture of the corporate world
confided in me of his long-standing sense of spiritual dryness.
Following are a few simple suggestions I made to him in
overcoming dry Quiet Times:
- In approaching God, it is important to slow down, relax, and give Him adequate time to break through to the core of our encrusted, pressurized souls. God simply will not be rushed!
- In our time with God, be sure our focus is not primarily on gleaning truth from the Scriptures, but on experiencing intimacy and fellowship with Jesus. Christ cautioned the Pharisees:
"You diligently study the Scriptures...yet
you refuse to come to Me to have life."+
- Prayerful meditation over a relatively small portion of Scripture usually proves more meaningful than attempting to cover a larger portion. Scheduled readings can have a stultifying effect on us.
- Keep in mind that meditation involves visualization and application.
In focusing on Psalm 23:1, for example,
our prayerful meditation might go something like this:
"THE LORD
is my SHEPHERD, I shall not be in WANT"
"O God, I pray that you
are THE Shepherd of my life...I belong to you alone."
"O Father, I surrender
to your LORDship: My finances,
career... everything."
"Lord, because You are my
SHEPHERD, I know I shall never
be in WANT."
- Strike a balance between intercession and worship. While petition is important, we need also to understand that (1) God seeks our worship, and (2) worship touches at the core of our need for intimate communion with Him. Using worshipful music tapes and a hymnal can prove helpful.
"...True worshipers will worship
the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind
of worshipers the Father seeks."
(John 4:23)
- Keep in mind that Christ went to the Cross so that we could enjoy intimacy with Him:
"God...has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord." ++
What a shame it would be to miss a
life of intimacy with our Savior this side of eternity!
My prayer is that you are having a great week.
Dwight Hill
+John 5:39, 40; ++I Corinthians 1:9
- 1 Coleman Street #02-34
The Adelphi - Singapore 0617 .
- Phone: 337 6498; Fax: 336 9913
(c) Copyright 1996 Dwight Hill. Unlimited permission to copy or use is hereby granted subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.
 |
Back to Antioch's Well Back to Antioch's Home Page |