Some folks wonder how to do a devotional time with God. One way that works for some people is this: 7 for heaven, 8 to meditate, and 10 to pen. Take seven minutes to read, and 8 minutes to prayerfully reflect on what you have read, Bible still open. Then follow that with 10 minutes, Bible still open, making notes (prayerfully) in your Bible and your journal about what you have read. Here is an example of how the end product might look. Grab your Bible and look at Psalm 77.
The Psalmist is dealing with troubling times. How does he deal with it? One of the things you will see right away is that he penned a psalm! Yes, in troubling times, he turned to prayer and worship. That alone is instructive for us isn't it? Read on.
1-3 In Trouble, God may seem distant or inaccessible. It may produce in his feelings of groaning, sorrow and even despair.
4 Sleeplessness may be another by product of trouble.
5-6 Longing for days when God seemed so active. You may struggle with trying to worship and the old songs you used to joyfully sing seem hard to produce.
7-9 You may start to question God, and whether he has forgotten/given up on you.
10 Here is the response to trouble. Our best response is to worship God and be thankful for the things that He has already done. And these acts of deliverance are a downpayment on the things He will continue to do in the future.
11-15 Remember what God has done; Remember that He is Holy; Remember that He is powerful.
The second item is vitally important when we are in trouble. God does nothing out of an evil heart. He uses life to cleanse, prepare and sanctify us for his very own.
16-20 As God has delivered in the past, we can take that as proof that He will deliver in the future. He has already done mighty acts to save us. This is evidence that He has not and will not give up on us. And the things He has already done were Great miracles, demonstrating that He has more than enough power to save us.
So the key idea here is in v 10. When we have trouble, its time to worship God thankfully, remembering his past deliverances, and that He will continue to deliver again and again.
For the Israelis, they could look forward to deliverance at any time from the one who parted the red sea, and supported the family of Israel in the wilderness for 40 years. For us, the same one who used resurrection power to raise Jesus from the grave and saved us from sin can trust God will continue to use the same power to deliver us safely to His side in heaven.
A meditation like that, for 25 minutes is not so hard is it? We all have the same 24 hours in a day as everyone else. If you can't find time daily for something like that, it's a question of priority, not resources.
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