Is your time with God operating during the fringe hours of your day? Do you have to squeeze in your time with Him during a few spare moments, if any?

If so, that is okay. You, like most of us, are facing the same struggle to find time for Jesus.

Maybe you feel like if only you can have an extra hour during the day, if only you can have five minutes for yourself, if only things will calm down, then you will be able to give God the attention He needs? The desire is never the problem, but the time, oh the time.

Jesus knew the battle we were going to have to find time with Him. Our own human nature, life’s demand and the enemy may come in our way. None of that is a surprise to Him and He does not even hold it against us as there is no condemnation for us in Christ (Romans 8:1). He knows our schedules and the demands we are facing, but even in five minutes with Him, He can still bless us and help us live the abundant lives He came to give us. His revelations to us are not always measured in the time we spend with Him but through the desire in our hearts to see and have more of Him.

Staying true to the fact that Jesus is the answer to any question we may have and the solution to every problem that may cross our paths, Jesus Himself showed us the way to make time for the Father and how to go about our days, no matter how busy they become.

“In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.” (Mark 1:35 NASB)

Jesus rose early in the morning before any of the demands of the day and gave thanks to God for another day. He obtained the strength He needed for His day and He waited for God to reveal His will for the day before Jesus endeavoured towards it. In the same way, we can seek our strength, guidance and direction for the day from God, even in a few minutes in prayer before we put our foot on the floor.

In everything Jesus did, His mind was on His Father and what His will was for Him. Jesus did not keep Himself busy with people’s opinions and expectations. He kept His mind on God every step of the way. Spending time with God is not only when we sit down and read our Bibles, but every waking moment is an opportunity to become aware and enjoy His presence. As we make breakfast we can meditate on a scripture, as we drive to work we can praise God for His goodness or we can talk about Him with our children of or whoever is with us while driving. We can find a hymn and recite it to ourselves in our minds as we sit at our desks to work or waiting for an appointment. We can pray in every quiet moment. When we have to attend meetings, we can see Jesus sitting there with us as our wisdom. When we have to encounter difficult conversations or situations, we can invite Jesus to be there with us and let Him lead us to the outcome He desires. In all these ways we make Him part of our day as we choose Him above ourselves or anyone else.

Jesus did not wait for the perfect moment to talk about the goodness of His Father. He did so at every encounter or place He went. We do not have to wait for everything to be perfect before we open God’s Word. We should place it in every room of our house, so when you pass by it, your mind shifts to God, when you find a minute, open and read a verse. Place one in your car so when you wait you can seek God’s face, even if it is only through one verse. You do not need perfection to find time for God’s Word, you only need to be willing to turn your thoughts to Him and be conscious about using every possible moment to turn your thoughts to Him.

When you consciously make an effort to turn to God, you may find that you get even more time to finish everything you had to do and find more and more slots for Him. God honours our decisions to seek Him above all things, even if it is during the fringe hours of our days.

A last thought and promise I want to leave with you:

“But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you.” (Matthew 6:33 GW)

Maretha Retief