On Patterning Life Around God

If you are like me, you might struggle with finding time to be with God throughout the week.  I know I should do devotions, read my Bible, and pray but many times it just doesn’t get done (or isn’t done as well as I’d like). While this is not a new problem for many people, it is growing more acute as our lives fill up with other things, too often God is the first one bumped from our schedule.  Perhaps the best way to make God a priority in our lives is to build Him into our schedule. 

We are a people who thrive on the predictability of a patterned life.  It is well noted that children thrive, feel more secure and confident when there is a daily routine in place where they can anticipate when is coming next.  Even God built a pattern into creation, “so God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation” (Genesis 2:3).  Some take this patterned life to the extreme (see Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory) while others may not even recognize their need for predictability in life.  Live into a patterned life with Jesus at the centre!

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It is not my intent to guilt you into doing anything, I simply want us to be honest with each other that setting apart time to rest and enjoy the company of God does not come naturally in our sinful world.

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First, establish a precedent of being in church every Sunday.  It is great that you watch Christian programing but it doesn’t replace actually being with your fellow believers worshiping God.  We need each others support and encouragement. Taking an hour and a half out of your week to worship acts as a foundation for your spiritual habits throughout the week.  Our worship services intentionally look similar every week so that the patterns of worship become part of you.  The pattern of singing, confession, hearing Scripture, and prayer is demonstrated each week as a model for our worship life the other six days.  Our liturgical pattern helps us enter into God’s story while orienting our lives around God.  Weekly worship is critical for our spiritual health and vitality.

Second, set apart some time each day to be in God’s Word and prayer.  Some find it helpful to do this in the morning while others like to do it at night.  Experiment with what time works best for you but be sure to schedule in a time, write it in your day planner or put it in your phone.  There are many ways that you can be in Scripture: maybe you start in Genesis and read a few chapters a day, or you start with the Gospel of John and hear the story of Jesus, or perhaps you follow a devotional book that leads you to different Scriptures each day.  No matter how you structure your time, allow God to lead you into His Word. 

Also during this time be sure to pray.  Pray not just for your needs but for the needs of others and for the church. Offer prayers of thanksgiving for God’s provision and action in your life.  Confess your failures and receive God’s words of pardon.  Simply be quiet as you allow God to speak to you words of encouragement, direction, or correction. Just take time to be with and to hear from God in prayer and His Word.  One way we are encouraging our church to be attentive to God through prayer and the Word is with Trinity’s Summer Commitment. 

It is not my intent to guilt you into doing anything, I simply want us to be honest with each other that setting apart time to rest and enjoy the company of God does not come naturally in our sinful world. In fact, sin is continually enticing us away from God. As Christians, we always ought to do what we can to encourage one another into a deeper relationship with Jesus. 

So in these slower summer months when schedules are easier to manage, let me challenge you to establish a pattern of worship in your life: make it a priority to be in church each week, devote a few minutes each day to time in God’s Word and prayer, take time to simply rest in God’s creation free from distractions and stress, and think about Trinity’s Commitment to God this summer.

Some resources to help build God into your routine:
Family Prayer- These devotions follow the structure of daily prayer and can be used in the family (Anglican Church of North America)

Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals (For purchase on Amazon)

Daily Text- A new prayer and Scripture readings every day of the year (Moravian Church)