After hitting the snooze button a couple of times, I found myself running late on a day that already held more to do than there were available hours. As I swung my legs over the bed, in my mind, I began rehearsing the day to come. Trying to schedule each piece mentally, I hit a jarring thought. Thinking of everything I had to do, I thought, “…and I need to squeeze in time to pray.” That may be one of the worst thoughts my brain has ever contemplated.
Squeeze time in to pray? The Holy Spirit immediately convicted me of how wrong my thinking was at that moment. I anchor each of my days by doing nothing before spending time in God’s Word and praying. I know nothing sets me up for failure more than neglecting those priorities. And yet, here I was contemplating squeezing in the time to pray.
The correct way to approach the day is to slot in my Bible reading and prayer time first. These are non-negotiable for me. They are non-negotiable because the time I spend with Christ is the most important part of my day. It’s more important than the time I spend with my wife, my family, or in my occupation. Each of those things is important and God-honoring, but nothing is more important than Jesus. If I don’t first orient my life around Him, then nothing else I do will be done with the right attitude.
I must see every aspect of my life through His eyes, and I can’t do that unless I’m making my time with God the most important thing in my life. While it flies in the face of what the world will tell you, nothing you accomplish on earth will count for anything. Only what we do for Jesus will remain after our bodies are dead and buried. If I don’t make the time to pray and read God’s Word the only sure things in my day, then I am doomed to a life of failure and irrelevance. Only by knowing Christ better will I achieve anything that matters.
Success in the world is for those who belong to this world. For those of us who claim Jesus as Lord, we know we don’t belong here. This world is not our home. Knowing this, why would we allow the things of this place to overshadow and replace the things of God? This is exactly what we do every time we have to squeeze in the time to spend with our Father.
Making time to pray and read the Bible won’t save you. Many people pray and read their Bibles, but we know only a few will find the way to eternity with Christ (Matthew 7:13-14). If we want to walk through that narrow gate, it is imperative we prioritize the things of Heaven above the things of this earth. We can only understand why that is by becoming intimately acquainted with our Savior. If we love Him, we will always have time to pray and do so with great joy. To talk to Jesus is the highest privilege. To learn who He is by studying the Word of God is an honor above all else. Don’t be so busy that you neglect reading God’s Word and taking the time to pray. Nothing on earth is more valuable than beginning each day in communion with our King.