The beautiful blue afternoon sky cheered my heart. As daylight faded, chirping birds flew about as they settled down for the evening. Afternoon walks always helped me deal with the day’s stress. I felt refreshed.
Suddenly, from deep within my spirit, the Holy Spirit spoke. “You’re not praying.” I stood motionless; “Where did that idea come from?” I asked myself.
I knew where it came from. The Holy Spirit was no stranger to me. I simply didn’t want to admit th
at I had allowed my daily prayer time to almost vanish. The Holy Spirit had me where He wanted me – I couldn’t escape the realization that my daily schedule held little time for being with God.
My day began with an hour reading our Lord’s precious Word. Form 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m., I prepared sermons and teaching outlines. Most days I spent lunch visiting with a parishioner. Then, it was back to the office for appointments, phone calls, and counseling sessions. After dinner, more visits, hospital calls, or church meetings consumed my evenings. About 9:30 or 10:00 p.m., I attempted to spend private time in praise and worship of the God I love. However, I was often so exhausted that my time with Him proved very short and very inadequate.
“You’re not praying!” Yes, I admitted, my private prayer life was deficient. Things had to change.
I felt so guilty for giving God the mere leftovers of my day. I decided to make an appointment with God – an appointment that would give Him the best time of my day. After all, I made appointments with people, why not with God?
I decided to leave the office at 3:00 p.m., take a short break from work and meet with the Lord at 4:00 p.m. I brought this “Pastor’s Survival Schedule” to the church board. They liked the idea and I implemented it.
Since I attempted to keep most of my daily appointments to one hour, it seemed logical to spend an hour with God. This hour long appointment with God became my goal. I refused to leave His presence before 5:00 p.m. Sure, some days the hour passed very slowly. On other days the 60 minutes flew by.
I 
persisted in keeping my appointments with God. Worship, praise, thanksgiving, and adoration of my Lord became easier and easier as my spirit became attuned to His spirit.
Once, the Lord Jesus showed me the importance of persisting in our pursuit of God. For several days I did not feel His presence during my afternoon time with Him. After several days of not feeling His presence, I looked up and said, “Lord, you have me for an hour whether or not you want me.” Immediately the Spirit’s presence flooded my spirit and I enjoyed a phenomenal private revival!
Friends, God must be number one in our lives. We set appointments for everything we do. Shouldn’t we set appointments for private time with Him? We must discipline ourselves to keep these appointments.
God hungers for us more than we hunger for Him. Let’s satisfy His desire for us by giving Him the best time of our day!
