Devotion Times that Count, Part 3

In part two, I spoke of devotional times in terms of relationship, namely that there is the need for quality time and the need for quantity time. I first looked at the need for a quantity time. There must be a quantity of time spent in the Bible so that you have a framework upon which times of intimacy with the Lord can even have a possibility of happening. Today I want to think about quality time and the spiritual equivalents of this relational feature.

Let’s first outline what qualifies as quality time. Quality time is like a superfood; a lot of what you need packed into one place. It is a relationally dense, purposefully planned, and intentionally impactful time spent with someone. Quality times are date nights, camping trips, coffeehouse meetings, and long-walks. What should ideally happen during quality times are direct questions about heart-matters, evaluative assessments, and long discussions. The goal of these times is to intentionally do what must routinely be done for big steps in relational growth to occur. This is not to say that important things don’t happen during the regular “quantity times” of just living around one another. It is just more of a surprise when weighty issues are addressed in quantity time living. But during quality time, you would be surprised if you didn’t talk about important matters, and you would be surprised if you didn’t take important steps in relationship growth.

So what is the spiritual equivalent of quality time? In a word: Meditation.

As a person is regularly reading through their Bible (quantity time), there are going to be passages that stand out. This should be a normal and frequent occurrence. This, as you might say to your spouse, is something we need to talk about. So what do you do? You meditate upon it. Meditation, far from the Eastern practice of emptying your mind, is the filling of your mind. Your mind is fully engaged upon knowing what the Lord would speak to you in His Word. Mediation is taking the passage that stood out to you and going for a long walk with it. You explore what it is really saying (observation), you ask what it is really meaning (interpretation), and you look for how to obey it in your life (application). Sometimes you are going to need some extra study helps to fully know this passage. Maybe that would be similar to a weekend getaway with a spouse. But oftentimes just taking time to read it four to five times, noting the key words and emphases, and looking at the context to answer why it is after the preceding passage will bring much light and give you much to apply.

Meditation is quality time. It is intentionally reading a passage so that the important questions are asked and purposeful steps are taken; and it is not let go until blessing is found. You need all of God’s Word because the whole Bible is His voice, but the reality is you can’t take it all in at any given point. Meditation is the practice of listening very closely to a particular word.

You must have quality times, times when you are making sure you are hearing what God is saying in Scripture. This is when a real and true relationship with Christ is deepened. Therefore, how much you meditate upon certain verses is a great question for evaluating your spiritual condition. The mark of the godly man, the Psalms 1 person, is meditating day and night upon the law. If you are not meditating on specific passages of scripture regularly, even hourly at times, you simply will not be a growing godly person. Something else has your ear. Godliness and spiritual growth is essentially loving and longing for Christ and His word, listening closely, and obeying in faith. Mediation is the act whereby you declare “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”