This example is where we best see the truth in the relationship argument for personal devotions. In his excellent book Delighting in the Trinity, Michael Reeves writes, “The Christian life is one of being brought to share the delight the Father, Son, and Spirit have for each other.”
Jesus has a perfect love for the Father and the Spirit and perfect union with them. If anyone could have practiced a relationship with the Father while simply acknowledging him throughout the day, it would be Jesus. But how did he, the God-man, outwardly demonstrate his love for the persons of the Godhead and his desire for Trinitarian relationship while living on the earth?
He prayed, and he read the Bible.
Jesus’ withdrawal from the crowd for private prayer is explicit throughout the Gospels (Matthew 26:36, Mark 1:35, Luke 9:18). And it is evident from Jesus’ preaching and teaching (Luke 4:16-27) that he was knowledgeable in the whole Scriptures in a way that could only have come from dedicated study.
A very basic article, but a really helpful reminder, especially as I’m currently focusing on trying to strengthen and revive my own devotional life after a season where it was getting squeezed out and I grew quite lax in terms of disciplined personal times of daily Scripture study and meditation.
I find I too am tempted to believe I can rely on “experiencing fellowship with God throughout [the] day in the normal situations of [my] life” and sometimes let that take the place of focused Quiet Times.
I appreciated the blogger’s response to why that doesn’t work:
[blockquote]… “How can we conform to the image of a God we have not beheld?†I would love to go through my days, witnessing the hand of God in every moment of the mundane, praising him for every blessing from his throne. But the truth is I am ignorant. I don’t even know what to look for, how to trace the providential kindness of my Father on my calendar, or where to expect his frown or his smile. Though God is certainly present in my to-do lists and my interactions with my children, he is best revealed through his chosen means: the Bible. And unless I have hidden his Word in my heart, unless I have meditated on Christ my prophet—he who is the Word incarnate—I will go through the hours always seeing but never understanding.
I would also love to spend my days in communion with my listening Father, making every breath an exhaled prayer. But, again, I am weak. If I do not dedicate myself to times of prayer (and I cringe to think how often I do not) I forget that I depend on spiritual realities in the midst of temporal realities. As the hymn says, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.†I pray and read my Bible because without it my heart, soul, mind, and strength will always immerse in the visible and forget entirely the One who is invisible.[/blockquote]
There is a lot of truth in those words. Until / unless I’m spending regular disciplined time in Scripture I don’t realize how deceitful my heart is and how easily I equate my own understanding with God’s ways. God has MADE us to need fellowship with and instruction from Him as we need sleep or meals. His Word is life. I neglect it at great spiritual peril… and yet even after nearly 40 years as a Christian, I too easily grow complacent and spiritually lazy.
You can’t go wrong in making the Daily Office a habit.