Jesus Time

A few weeks ago, one of my kids came home with a paper that he filled out about me. My favorite color: green. My favorite store: Aldi. What I’m best at: cleaning. All the answers made me chuckle until I came to one. My favorite way to relax: pray. It stopped me in my tracks and made me tear up. A few minutes later, I asked one of the other kids what I do to relax because I wanted to know how the answer would be different from her perspective. And she said, “Have Jesus time.” No prompting. No discussion. They hadn’t heard or seen each others’ answers. But the answer was the same. 

You guys, it made me realize how much they see me. And what they see is that I turn to Jesus every day.

Jesus Time is my prayer time. It is an intentional time set aside on a daily basis to connect with God. There are no fancy words or magic formulas to connect with the Almighty. I have a relationship with Him. And just like any healthy relationship, we spend time together. We talk. We listen. It’s really that simple. There are times that I vent or cry. And there are days I am distracted. Sometimes my Jesus time is quick and to the point. On other days, I pour my heart out to Him for pages (writing keeps me focused). 

I try to keep focused by using the outline Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:9-13. The Lord’s Prayer: praise, obedience, repentance, forgiveness, petition, protection. And I sprinkle in gratitude (well, more than sprinkle…it’s a big part of my time) because, as it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  I usually attach a devotion and read something from scripture. 

And I listen…one-sided conversations rarely develop into long-term relationships, so I listen. He often speaks to me as I ponder His words in the Bible.

Here is how I use The Lord’s Prayer to help guide our time together (and examples from my actual prayer journal in quotations):

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

I praise God first. It’s not only the beginning of the prayer Jesus taught, but it also makes God the priority rather than ourselves or others. There are many different ways to praise God. Worship music is a simple way to begin. Reading the Psalms is a wonderful resource for Godly praise (Psalm 95-100 is a great place to start).  You can also find a list of the names of God and use that to recount God’s attributes.  Currently, I am working through a list that you can find on the Knowing God Ministries website.

“God, you are glorious, filled with glory. ‘On the glorious splendor of your majesty and on your wonderful works, I will meditate (Psalm 145:5).’ I meditate on your greatness. Your importance is beyond earthly measure.”

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Pray for God’s kingdom to be brought about here on Earth. This can be praying for Jesus’ promised return. But in the here and now, I ask God to help me to do my part to spread His word, show His love, and do what he wants me to do each day. There are times I find that He is prompting me to do something specific, and I write that down. Here is where the listening is so very important…and obeying (doing the thing).

“Lord, guide me on how you want me to spend my time today. Help me show your love and be a light to others, so your followers will increase here on Earth.”

Give us today our daily bread.

Our daily bread is what we need, or at least what we think we need. This time is filled with my own intentions for myself, my family, and others. My usual order is for a slice of daily bread consisting of energy and patience! Plus, many other intentions of the day from guidance to salvation. God cares about what we care about, both big issues and small details.

“Send Your Holy Spirit to infuse me with the energy and patience I need for today. I lift the Smith family up to you as they mourn the loss of Susie. Be with my kids as they navigate school. Help them to be kind and respectful and to show Your love in all they do.” 

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Debts/sins/trespasses…Whatever translation you use, this is about apologizing for the mistakes and wrongdoing in your life while also forgiving others for their offenses. I usually move this toward the beginning of my prayer time, right after praise because I want to start with a clean heart. 

“Forgive me for anything I have said or done against You and others. Bring my offenses to mind so I can confess them and repent. Forgive me specifically for losing my patience. I forgive Johnny for the same. Help me to turn it all over to You, Lord, so we can be free to move on and show love.”

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

I always ask for a covering of protection over my family and myself. Evil is real, and we must be aware of the dangers of temptation and compromise.

“God, keep my family and me fully protected from evil.  Allow each of us to recognize the tempting schemes of Satan and instead choose Your truth over the lies of earthly, evil, or dangerous ‘opportunities.’”

My Jesus time has evolved over the years, but I really learned to pray from my friend and author, Tara Furman of Knowing God Ministries. Her book, Knowing God: Establishing a Daily Walk with Him, takes you step-by-step through learning how to pray. It goes into much greater detail than I have here. This book along with Growing Stronger Roots and Prayer Made Simple are wonderful resources. They can be read on your own or as a group study.

Keep in mind that there is not one right way for your prayer time to look. I’ve given an example of mine, but yours can absolutely be different. The most important thing is that you pray. God loves you and wants to spend time with you. So use this as a guide to get started and adapt as your relationship with Jesus grows. 

“Come near to God and he will come near to you (James 4:8).” 

That is a promise straight from Heaven.