How can you follow Jesus, and know His will for your lives and your family, unless you take time to be with Him?

As Christians, it is a tremendous honor to spend time with God every day. At the beginning, it takes desire and discipline to become faithful in your daily quiet time with the Lord, but eventually (by GOD'S GRACE, not by self-efforts) your time in prayer can become the delight of your day.

When I was a little girl, a small sunroom connected from my bedroom to my parent's room. I remember waking every morning and seeing my dad begin his day in that room . . . sitting in his black leather chair . . . with his coffee, his devotional book, and his well-worn Bible. 

Seeing that consistency in my dad's spiritual life made a tremendous impact on my own relationship with the Lord, probably more than any lecture or words of advice.

Recently, God has been stirring in my heart the importance of individual prayer within families -- not just intercessory prayer for others, corporate prayer at church, or times of praying together as a family (all of which are important). It is vital for each member of the family (for dad, for mom, and for each child and/or teenager) to personally develop his or her own relationship with the Lord by seeking GOD'S GRACE and GOD'S HELP to maintain a consistent quiet time with Him.

Be a spiritual example to your kids . . . by having a regular time and place for prayer

As parents, one of the greatest ways to instill in your kids the foundation of life-impacting faith is for your kids to actually "see" you reading your Bible (on a regular everyday basis, not just at church), and for your kids to "see" you taking time to pray by yourself.

I believe it's helpful to establish a regular "place" to meet with the Lord each day (perhaps a comfy chair in a spare bedroom or home office, a corner of your living room couch, or maybe it's easier for you to pray as you take a walk outside). If you haven't been praying, it's also good to begin by setting aside a particular new "meeting time" with God (perhaps set your morning alarm a bit earlier, read your Bible - instead of the morning newspaper - as you're sipping your morning coffee, or take time for the Lord during your noontime lunch hour).

"Round-up" a few items to help establish a consistent time with God

If you decide to establish a new habit of consistent physical exercise, such as jogging a few miles each day, you're going to need to take a few minutes ahead of time to "round up" some running shoes and perhaps set aside some sweats or shorts. If you want to add some new recipes to your cooking, you're going to need to "round up" some new ingredients and know where to find them in your kitchen. The same is true for establishing a new habit of consistent spiritual discipline and daily prayer. If you haven't been taking time to pray, it's helpful to "round up" a few quiet-time accessories or spiritual items and to have them set aside and "waiting" for you in your special new quiet-time place.

Here are a few ideas for helpful "QUIET TIME" items:

• your own Bible (with a marker to remember where you are reading)
• a daily Bible-reading chart
• a journal or notebook, with a pen and a highlighter
• a devotional or "meaty" spiritual book (to challenge your walk with Christ)
• a world map, and missionary newsletters
• a CD with quiet worship music
• possibly even set aside items for holy communion (with wafers, a cup, and grape juice) for a personal communion time (see I Corinthians 11), perhaps on a daily, weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis, to remember the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice

Remember to be flexible!

Along with consistency in prayer, it's important to be flexible. In the life of every family, there will be different seasons and schedule changes. What works today may not work tomorrow; yet even so, we need to faithfully "guard" our time with God. It's also vital to acknowledge God's presence right beside you and with you all throughout the day. We can welcome the presence of God's Holy Spirit into every dimension of our everyday life. He cares about everything, and we can welcome Him into every decision and every activity. In our life, there shouldn't be a barrier between what is "holy" and what is "common"; instead, God wants for our entire lives to be lived in fellowship with Him.

And if you think you don't have time to pray . . .

The Bible shows us that Jesus didn't neglect His time along with His Heavenly Father, even when He was busy and there were many pressing needs.

"Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He [Jesus] went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for you." But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth" (Mark 1:35-38).

Instead of being directed by the overwhelming needs of the moment, Jesus took time to pray in a solitary place (and He didn't even tell His disciples where He was going!). After this personal prayer time, Jesus knew the Heavenly Father's perfect direction for that day.

Keep your ears open . . . and take time to be quiet before God!

Remember that communication with God is a two-way conversation; Prayer is not a monologue, but a dialogue! As set aside time to be with God, the Lord wants to speak to us and to begin to direct our lives, through the Bible and through His Holy Spirit (often as a strong "impression" or thought, and always in line with God's Word).

Don't try to "fit" prayer into your schedule. Instead "fit" everything around prayer.

Rather than attempting to "fit" a new devotional or quiet time into your already stressful and packed schedule, switch your mindset and realize that we begin with prayer . . . and "fit" everything else around our time with Him. Realize what an incredible honor it is to take time to fellowship with God, with the Almighty God of the entire universe. Our time with God should be more precious than anything else in our life -- more valuable than making money, more refreshing than favorite hobbies, even more precious than time with our closest loved ones.

Prayer takes time . . .

It takes time to develop a relationship with anyone, and it takes time to grow in prayer. All throughout the day, we can "pray without ceasing" by being constantly aware of His presence and acknowledging Him as we're going about our everyday routine; however, it's also good to have special time set aside just for Him. There's a difference between grabbing a quick snack on the run and enjoying a sit-down dinner with your family. If you want to fulfill God's plans and purposes for your life, your time with Him is vital. There is no activity or ministry on this earth that is more important than prayer.

My dad was a great example in prayer; and I did heed some of his advice:

Just remember, as my dad always said . . . 

"A little bit of somethin' is better than a whole lot of nothin'!"