Time With Him

by Kate Hasson

When in high school and college, I had to study. It didn’t just come to me. I had to go to the lectures, take copious notes, go to after class help sessions, read my textbooks, and study for exams. When working on my culinary skills in college I needed to practice and practice to get my pastries close to perfection. All of these things took time. While I was in college, I got married, carried various jobs, and was involved in church. Yes I was busy, but to attain my scholared degree I still had to study hard. Just because I had other things on my plate didn’t mean I tossed off study time, or going to class. I made it to class almost 100% of the time, and I stayed up late if I had to study, even pulled all-nighters. That’s how much I wanted my certificate of achievement.

Just the other day a thought came to me as I was driving down the highway.

Recently, well actually for a while, I’ve been told that even just 10 minutes in the Word is good enough. That phrase has always struck a chord in me; a wrong chord. What!? How can this be?

“Well, as long as you just get some time in ...”.

“You’re a wife and mother and you just don’t have the kind of time or energy to spend hours in the Word. Ten minutes will get you through the day with a heart that pleases the Lord.”

And while I do see some wisdom in this, for at least some time is surely better than none, I don’t really like to hear it. My futile mind will all to easily grasp on to this little thought and run with it... “I only need 10 minutes with God a day to grow?! Great. I can find a time for that...maybe...”

Here’s the thought I had:

If I had to spend hours upon hours, days upon days, weeks upon weeks, months upon months, and years upon years to gain the worldly knowledge I have now, how can I possibly think I’ll grow significantly in my walk with God in just 10 minutes a day? My teachers in school never, never, never told me to just spend 10 minutes on homework or studying; that would be foolish! In order to succeed in anything one must work hard at getting to know his subject. School is not always fun, at least not for me, but what is fun, is now being able to make beautiful cakes and pies and pastries from scratch because of my hard earned knowledge. I had to work hard in my mind and in my time to get there. To know God, in all His grandeur, logically must take just as much time and mindfulness, or maybe even more! It may not always be fun; I may be sick, tired, busy, emotional, etc... but, really, nothing compares to the greatness of knowing the LORD. That’s were I want to be. I want to fully know Him.

Honestly, it really isn’t about 10 minutes, 15 minutes or any specific amount of time. It is up to God Himself to, in his unconditional kindness, open our scaled eyes and reveal Himself to us in new and amazing ways. However, it seems extremely difficult to allow Him to reveal Himself to us if we don’t come to Him for very long. It will be hard to be filled with Him if we just take sips here and there and don’t honestly drink from Him and His Word deeply.

Just as with anything we do, whether school, sports, music, business, etc, knowing and loving and savoring and worshipping and being with God will, I think, only come from our minds being saturated with His Word. That is where He has primarily chosen to reveal Himself to us and that is where He will be found. 10 minutes just won’t cut it, I believe. But intense, rich time studying, not just reading and forgetting, but taking it apart, chewing it, questioning it, cross-referencing it, memorizing it, repeating it kind of studying will allow our hearts to be more open, moldable and teachable. We will know Him more because our minds will have been stayed on Him.

When I read/listen to great pastors/teachers, Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, C.S. Lewis, John Piper, John MacArthur (to name a small few), and hear what comes from their mouths, I think about how much time they spend with Him. They don’t just give 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there. No! They give hours and hours and days of studying. I hear their messages and read their books and yearn to have their faith. Although this is their calling, to pastor and to teach, the principle is the same. The more time I spend with God, the better I know Him and the more I love Him. This is my conviction, this is my goal.

Psalm 1:2 “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.”

Joshua 1:8 “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make you way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.”

1 Peter 2:2 “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.