Winter 1985
Meet Daily with Jesus
Fred Kerr

The Christian walk is won or lost in the battle of the basics. One of these basics is the daily meeting with Jesus. A report by a former missionary to Japan stated that only about 17 percent of missionaries were observing a regular quiet time. Another survey done in the U.S. showed that both pastors and laymen were spending less than 10 minutes a day in prayer. In an age where prayer and spiritual exercises tend to become mere fleeting shadows, I find that I must choose to pull aside, slow down, and not “outrun” my waiting Lord.

Speaking to His own people, the Lord declared: “And you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.” Seeking God involves getting ourselves into His presence. Here are a few practical suggestions and thoughts for getting started. They are, in part, from my own successes and failures.

First: My daily meeting with Jesus is to get to know Him better. Knowing Him is to be my motivation and objective. “When thou dist say, ‘Seek my face,’ my heart said to thee, ‘Thy face, O Lord, I shall seek.’” We only have one real need: to know Jesus better. The believer, above all, is called to know the person of Jesus, not just to accept a list of moral teachings or abstract doctrinal statements. We follow Him.

Heavenly friendships, just as human friendships, can deepen only as we spend time with the other person. There is no shortcut to getting to know a child, spouse, neighbor, or our heavenly Father. The goal of the daily meeting with Jesus is not to mechanically read one chapter, or to just habitually pray for a certain amount of time, but to truly seek, listen, learn, and lavish our praise and adoration on Jesus the Lord: to do our all to enter His marvelous presence!

My experience is that most meetings are not mystical, mountain-top encounters. More realistic perhaps, is to expect more of the quiet delight similar to just being around a human person you love. Here, also the interaction is not usually mountain-top feelings, but the more tranquil delight of simply being together. Realizing this can free us from the subtle condemnation and guilt.

One the other hand, we should not settle for the low road of robot-like uninspiring blandness as normative in our times of praise, prayer, Bible reading, and meditation. There is a middle road of coming to this daily appointment with an air of expectancy—of joy, delight, lightness of spirit, and creativeness (ask Jesus what to do) which can make this a personal friendship (Psalm 19:10). Some people interject singing, praising and praying aloud as David did, while others kneel quietly in heartfelt adoration, confession, or supplication. Use variety, yet have a plan.

Second: Scheduling a regular time is important. Your daily meeting with Jesus needs a home in your schedule, just as a plant needs to remain in the same soil and not be dug up and repeatedly moved around. “And they are to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at evening” (I Chronicles 23:30). While we are not under the law today, we can still infer the high priority which our unchanging God always places on regularly seeking Him. Will I give Jesus Christ a daily appointment?

Interestingly, the first thing that the book of worship, the Psalms, tells us about the righteous man is that “his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2). E.M. Bounds spoke of regular meetings with the Lord this way: “God’s acquaintance is not made hurriedly. He does not bestow His gifts on the casual comer and goer. To be much alone with God is the secret of knowing Him and of influence with Him.”

Third: Meet early with the Lord—“In the morning, O Lord, Thou wilt hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to Thee and eagerly watch” (Psalm 5:3). “I will rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for thy words” (Psalm 119:147). “Now Abraham arose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the Lord” (Genesis 19:27).

A strong case can be made that meeting early with the Lord has Biblical warrant. Even Christ Himself spent time in early morning prayer: “And in the early morning, while it was still dark, he arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there” (Mark 1:35).

If it was important to Jesus Christ, the perfect, sinless Son of God, to devote time to communing with His heavenly Father, how much more important it is for me, a sinful creature to do so. If my Lord arose to pray early, how can I deny its significance for my life as well?

What are some common struggles in having rich and regular times of Bible study, prayer, and meditation? Here are some suggestions for dealing with several of the most prevalent ones:

The foremost problem is often lack of desire and discipline. “I know I probably should, but it’s so hard to do it.” Begin by praying: “Lord, give me the desire or discipline to get up and meet with you.” Tell Him where you are (as if He didn’t already know). “Make me willing to be willing! I need supernatural help. I’m a failure in this area.” Then, do your part.

Another common struggle is that of concentration. I usually arise for my meeting, but my mind is like a butterfly. It flits here and there. It can help to read or pray aloud. Try shouting your praises to our wonderful Saviour! I periodically write out, or type, my prayers, and then read them aloud to Him. This also helps put me in touch with my good and bad attitudes and feelings of the day. As it has been said, “I don’t know what I think until I say it.”

Lack of consistency is another common obstacle. Rest assured that it can and has been overcome by many. You can do it too . . . with His help. One believer I know has this agreement with himself: If he shows up for his meeting with Jesus more than 5 minutes late, he will fast that day, skipping breakfast and lunch. That tends to drastically increase one’s motivation the following morning! Commitment starts where comfort and convenience leave off.

Another common problem is simply staying up too late at night. The morning devotion is won or lost the night before! I am kidding myself if I think I can stay up late and rise early to meet the Lord. It isn’t going to happen—not consistently. “Lord, give me the will power to turn the TV off,” we might pray. If I’m truly desiring to do business with God, I can pray this prayer daily.

Realize that prayer is hard work. It is the hardest work we do, in my opinion, knowing this can both relieve guilt and challenge us. I am thus forewarned and forearmed. The main target of the enemy is your prayer life. Dare not treat it lightly or casually!

In summary, I can only begin with me. Here am I Lord. Speak to me, empower me, send me.