MAY 2

Psalm 119:145-147
Memorise Psalm 119:147
“…I hoped in Thy Word…”
Psalm 119 is the longest psalm in the Bible, consisting of 176 verses divided into 22 sections of 8 verses each. Each section starts with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet and the “KOPH” section is the one we will be considering in the next few devotions. Psalm 119 is full of joyful exclamations of love for God’s Word and a daily reliance on Him. It is therefore a most fitting psalm for us to consider as we take a deeper look into why and how we do our Quiet Time.

The section for our consideration begins with the psalmist crying out to God in prayer (v. 145-147), pleading for God to hear him. His earnest and heartfelt pleas to God sound almost desperate as he promises to keep God’s “statutes” and “testimonies” if God would hear and save Him. The word ‘prevented’ here speaks of the chronological order, whereby he came before the dawning of the morning, and cried unto the Lord. But he did not just stop at prayer, for he spent time in meditation and study of God’s Word, for it is in God’s Word alone that he was able to find hope amidst his situation.

In a nutshell, that is what Quiet Time is – spending time alone with God. The two key elements of it are prayer and the reading of God’s Word. It is time spent alone in communion with God. It should be free from all distractions, allowing us to nurture our relationship with Him through prayer and the study of His Word. It is vital to read God’s Word during our daily Quiet Time as it is in His Word that we find the answers to our prayers. Thank God our relationship with Him is not based on a one way communication for we do indeed hear His voice through His Word.

Thus it can be said that prayer is an element of Quiet Time, but is certainly not limited to only our Quiet Time. We can pray without ceasing, at all times throughout the day. Of course we can also read and meditate on God’s Word through the day as well, but we must always have a devoted period of time (preferable in the mornings) where we make a concerted effort to sincerely seek the Lord.

Thought: Can I do my Quiet Time more than once or twice a day?
Prayer: Let me be diligent in reading Thy Word, O Lord, so that I may be assured that Thou will indeed “hear me” and “save me”.