Spending Time with God Will Help Us Know Him and His Ways

Prayer helps us to get to know the true God. Moses said to God, “If you are pleased with me, teach me Your ways” (Ex 33:13).

R.T. Kendall writes: “My wife knows my ways. She frequently knows whether I will like a particular film, TV program, book, or person. She often knows how I will answer most questions put to me. She knows my ways. The main reason Louise knows my ways is because of the time we have spent together. We know each other’s ways. When you spend time with a person, you get to know them” (Kendall, Did You Think To Pray, p. 29).

God wants you and me to know His ways (see Josh 22:5; Isaiah 55:8-9); not the world’s ways, not the latest marketing technique ways, not the latest church fad - His ways. God wants us to know His ways and in knowing His ways, make decisions and take action out of revelation from Him; and that revelation may or may not reflect the latest hot fad in the world or the body of Christ today. But moving out of His revelation will keep us in step with God and His purposes being accomplished in and through us by His might, His Spirit.

The world’s ways and the latest marketing techniques often seem to produce fruit quickly. But will it be fruit that lasts? Will it be fruit that pleases Father? Will it be fruit that brings glory to Him? The world’s ways and the latest marketing techniques often seem to bring glory to us more quickly than they do to Father. In the ARC, there is only one person we want the glory to go to and that’s the Lord. In the ARC there is only one person we want getting the acclaim and the credit to go to, and that’s the Lord. In the ARC we want to be bragging on only one person, and that’s the Lord!

So, brothers and sisters, let’s be intentional about making time to be with the Lord. Maybe that’s your (or my) growing edge this year. Maybe that’s where God wants to be working in our lives right now. Maybe that’s where He wants to be helping us to reorder our priorities and schedules. If so, I urge us all to cooperate with Him.

I love spending time with my wife, Debi. I don’t have to force myself to make time for her. May that be the way it is with us, and the Lord; may it not be something we have to do, but want, long, crave, desire, to do.

Holy Spirit come and do whatever You need to do in us so that spending time with you, Jesus, and Father is something we want, long, crave and desire to do this year. And Lord, if it is true that you look favorably on us, let us know your ways so we may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen!