Take Time to Be Holy

What value do you put on prayer?

Is it something you set time aside for or do you just try to fit it in if you aren’t too busy?

It’s a fact that it can be a battle to really have a habit of earnest prayer. But mom’s, what else could be more important with all the responsibilities we have and decisions we must make?  We are just the clay but we have an amazing opportunity to go to the master potter who makes beautiful things out of lumps of ugly material and ask him for wisdom and help in all areas.

And you know what? He cares.

He cares about all the details of your life. Nature testifies of that. If God didn’t care about the little things, why did He create the smallest of creatures that most would walk by and never pay attention to? Little insects that have the intelligence that tells them that winter is coming and they must store up food or that danger is upon them and they must protect their future young and so they quickly scurry to remove them to a safe location when their nest is threatened. Nature testifies that God cares about every thing no matter how big or small.

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? Psalms 8:4

We cannot understand that He really would care about us but He does. How much do we care? Do we care enough that we would give him a portion of our day?

Are we like the psalmist David who penned these words?

…my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is… Psalms 63:1

The more we spend time with Him the more we want to – but then little by little and before we know it, something happens and we find those moments of solitude or thinking on Him interrupted by other things. Then we offer Him, not the best of our time but whatever time is left from all our busyness. And as mother’s we are busy, there’s no denying that.

If you despair that you will ever have time to really spend in prayer, just realize that to everything there is a season and that these moments with toddlers and young ones will pass. So the point is not that you have to spend a certain amount of time each day in prayer but that you do give Him of your time.

If I think I’m too busy for this most crucial thing, I have only to consider the example of some Godly men and women that had much to do but yet they made time for what was really important.

Susanna Wesley

Susanna Wesley, the mother of John and Charles Wesley had 19 children altogether with only 10 surviving past infancy, spent 6 hours a day teaching them the Bible and other school subjects, ran the household while her husband was gone for extended periods, was often sick but yet she spent 2 hours a day in prayer.

I will tell you what rule I observed when I was young, and too much addicted to childish diversions-never to spend more time in mere recreation in one day than I spent in private religious devotions. –Susanna Wesley

John Wesley

John Wesley traveled over 250,000 miles on horseback in his lifetime, preaching 2-3 times a day but yet he had this to say about prayer,

I have so much to do that I spend several hours in prayer before I am able to do it.—John Wesley

Daniel

The story of Daniel and Darius in the Bible can be found in Daniel 6. Darius set Daniel and 120 princes over the kingdom with Daniel being first and the one to whom the Princes were to answer. I’m sure he had many duties but what does the Bible say he did faithfully?

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

Amram

And one of the most convicting examples to me is Amram, Moses’ father. As a slave he must have experienced bone deep weariness every single day from the long hard hours he was made to work but yet he took the time to pray.

And as we can see Amram, on those wearying nights, back bleeding, climbing up the steps again, until two and three o’clock in the morning, praying, and seem like you just talking to the wind; but down in his Jewish heart there burned a faith, that no winds of doubt could ever blow out. –William Branham

A moment spent in prayer is never wasted.

Take Time to be Holy

That’s a phrase my husband has used often with our children when he feels like they aren’t putting first things first. “Take time to be holy.”

I found this beautiful old hymn entitled the same. The words are beautiful.

Take Time To Be Holy

by William D. Longstaff

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
Each thought and each motive beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. Leviticus 19:2