The joy of communing with God in the life of the believer

Daily quiet time (AKA "devotions," "God and I time," "my time with the Lord") is the spiritual discipline of communing with God.

Eeeesh... when I write that out it sounds so dutiful, so much an act of will; kinda like me saying to you, "A conversation with you is an act of duty that I must do... so, let's talk." Yet, that is how many believers view their "time with the Lord." It is something that I must do and am obligated to do, so therefore I do it, or feel guilty for not doing this "spiritual obligation" when I don't do it.

But this is not what Christ purchased for me. I have not been saved to now be forced into communing with God, I have been saved so that I can have the supreme privilege and joy of communing with God. Ephesians 2:12 tells us that apart from Christ, we were "without hope and without God in this present world." Yet, the next verse says that "we who once were far off, have been brought near by the blood of Christ." God "through Christ reconciled us to Himself," (2 Corinthians 5:18), and so we now can "with confidence draw near to the throne of grace" (Hebrews 4:16).

Communing with God is an act of supreme kindness God has purchased for me in Christ. It should be our joy and eager anticipation to spend some time with God every day in communion with Him.

George Mueller writes about His zeal and delight in communing with God. He was coming back to seminary in London, and he writes this:

"After my return to London, I decided to do something to help my brothers in the seminary. I suggested we meet together every morning from six until eight to pray and read the Scriptures. After the evening prayer, my communion with God was so sweet that I would continue praying until after midnight. Then I would go to a brother's room and we would pray together until one or two in the morning. Even then, I was sometimes so full of joy that I could not sleep. At six in the morning I would again call the brethren together for prayer."

This is the intention of the sweet fellowship we can have in the presence of God. May we all experience the truth that when we "draw near to God, He will draw near to us" (James 4:8). And may that drawing near to God in communion with Him spur in us an abiding joy and a lasting gratitude.

So, the next time (tomorrow morning... or right now!!) you pause in your busyness to spend time (invest time) communing with God, may you be struck by the reality of what is happening, and may you find Him to be more precious to you than anyone or anything else.