My name is Linda Brooks. I am the mother of one son (who is now in heaven) and the grandmother of one. I have been a member of Covenant Fellowship Church for the last ten years. Prior to becoming a Christian at the age of 28, I knew about God but did not know him personally as my Lord and Savior.
I had become a single mother, and one year after having my son, I lost my own mother who was my everything. She left a great void, and I was devastated. Here I was, a single mom left to raise a child alone, and I had no clue what to do without my mother. I cried out in desperation, “Lord I need you!” and Christ in his infinite power drew me to himself and became my Savior, my Father, my Redeemer, and my Strength to move on in this life.
I don’t claim to have all the answers or do everything perfectly when I have my quiet time with the Lord. What I do know is that the one who does all things well (Mark 7:37), who is perfect, who does not change, and who is consistent in his love toward me is Jesus the Christ. His love remains the same. He never changes. He will never leave me or forsake me (Hebrews 13:5b). He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore (Hebrew 13:8).
My devotional time is not perfect, but it is being perfected. I no longer look at it as a duty or feel like I have to do it the same way. Instead, it has become a delight to spend precious time with the Lord. I am learning that having devotional time is not about trying to become someone but about getting to know someone, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ of the Bible.
My times with the Lord have changed with each season of my life. When I was a young Christian woman and did not understand the Word of God, I approached the Bible looking for what was in it for me versus wanting to know the God of the Bible. By God’s grace, that has changed. I’m in a season now where the books I read need to be Christ-centered and biblically sound. But the one tool I use regardless of whether I’m reading another book is the Bible, and that will never change. It’s my anchor and my everything.
I am learning that we have to fight the flesh for our time with the Lord because of the many distractions that we face every single day no matter what season we’re in. Young moms have many hats to wear and little ones to care for; single women have demands at work; we all have commitments to church; and senior women of age are distracted with the many health challenges we face. We all have something that distracts us from our quiet times with the Lord which fuels our souls. We have to fight for that time!
So be encouraged to find your time, get your space, and turn your devotional time from duty to delight. I want to be consistently like the deer in Psalm 42:1: “As the deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you O God.” I want to go daily to the stream of living water that satisfieth, that sustains. I want to remain thirsty for the things of God.
Perfect no, consistent, yes. That’s where I want to be when it comes to my quiet time with the LORD. In those times, when I am at the Well to receive the Living Water (God’s Word), He strengthens me and sustains my soul.
“The LORD will guide you always, He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail” (Isaiah 58:11 NIV).
