Even though I ended 2/24 last August, I’m still blessed by
how God worked in me through this journey. I know that worship and quiet time
should be about glorifying God, but I think that He blesses us through our time
with Him. Here’s how:
1.
Spending
time with Jesus is enjoyable. Quiet
time reminds me of exercise. Sometimes, I dread it and avoid it all costs. Like exercising, however, spending time with
Jesus results in joy. Even though I often didn’t feel His presence last summer,
I experienced this joy.
2.
The Word
is alive. Many Scriptures that I had heard and read dozens of times
suddenly made sense. Phrases that always seemed foreign—“I have been crucified
with Christ”—clicked! Concepts I understood intellectually seemed experientially
true for the first time, and this understanding didn’t wane when I ended 2/24.
As I read through Ephesians last week, I wondered if I’ve been illiterate my
whole life. I knew the words on the page well enough, but this time, they
really meant something. They weren’t just intellectually true. They were true
in the best possible sense of true. My understanding of the Word’s life began
when I started spending significant amounts of time reading it.
3.
I’m learning to hear to voice of God. Last summer, during 2/24, I became frustrated.
I felt like I was in a dry place and that I hadn’t heard God’s voice. Even
though I was spending a lot time with Him and worshipping Him, I wasn’t feeling
His presence. Through this experience, God reminded me that faith is more
than experiencing His presence. By giving me a hunger for His word, he taught
me to recognize His voice so that in later months, I would be ready to hear
it.
4.
I miss
quiet time. When I miss quiet time, I actually miss it. Many days, I find
that I’m not walking by the Spirit, but now, I can recognize the difference. When I’m being a grumpy witch, I know what the
real cause is, and usually, the solution involves more than chocolate. I need
Jesus.
5.
The Bible
is one story. Whether I read a couple verses here and there or an entire book,
The Holy Spirit teaches me through Scripture. Nevertheless, reading large
amounts of Scripture at a time allowed me to make connections and see that the
Bible really is one big story! Leviticus matters because it’s how God chose to
reveal himself to the Israelites, but its descriptions of sacrificial law also
shed light on Jesus’s death. Scripture isn’t just a catalog of true statements;
it’s a story.
To God be the glory!
