by David Scott Robertson
"As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice" (Psalm 55:16-17).
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I absolutely love the 52nd week of each year.
Closure of the year is at hand. Like an accountant "closes out the books" for a company annually, so I like to "close out the year" the last week of each December.
This week I intend to…
…clean out my desk.
…clean up my car.
…clean out my closet.
…clean up my to-do list.
…clean out my gym bag.
…clean up my diet.
…clean out my dresser.
…clean up my act.
…clean out my hard drive.
…clear up loose ends.
I want to enter the New Year as organized and prepared as possible.
The brief season between the Christmas and New Year's holidays are a time to gather my thoughts, evaluate what did and didn't work in the previous year, and chart a new course for the next twelve months.
Traditionally, during the span of these few days, it has been my custom to contemplate and document goals for the upcoming year.
In the past, I have narrowed my goal setting down to roughly seven vital relationships. My relationship with…
…God
…my wife
…my daughter
…my extended family (including church amily)
…my ministry
…my finances
…myself
Each year I have made incremental progress in these respective areas that has been quite rewarding. This year, however, I am taking a completely new approach.
I strongly sense this new direction is of God. My goals for the New Year can be written on a single sticky note. Envision the scripture reference from Psalms - Psalm 55:16-17 - followed by three empty squares, or blocks, underneath them. That's it. That's what I hope to accomplish in the New Year.
The empty squares represent three blocks of time and the scriptural passage I've listed contains the key to understanding what these blocks mean.
"Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice" (Psalm 55:17).
The three blocks of time that I will concentrating on in the coming year are three meetings with God every day. I will follow the Psalmist's practice of prayer in the verse above.
The first meeting will be each evening. I will meet with God to plan tomorrow tonight. I will get a jump on the next day today by spending quality time with Jesus each evening. Further, I will ask God to speak to me through my dreams to bring expanded revelation for the day to come.
My next meeting will be my "first fruits offering" of the morning. The first item on my day's agenda will not be exercise, headline news, email, or even breakfast. It will be a time spent in worship and in the Word.
My next scheduled quiet time with the Lord will occur around noon of each day. I will try and make a mid-day connection with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to apply any necessary course corrections. Like a boxer listens to his coach between rounds, I want each of these meetings to prepare me to make the most powerful contribution possible to God's plan and program for my life in the current 24-hour cycle.
Please note that these three blocks of time are by no means the only times I will be seeking the Lord for the Bible admonishes us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and "…whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17).
But these three blocks of time are dedicated times with my Heavenly Father; they are consecrated times with the Lord Jesus; and they are closed-door meeting times with the Holy Spirit in an attempt to tap into a power that I have previously been too busy to make happen.
I'm deciding right now not to allow myself to get enslaved to a legalistic view of these special times with the Lord. I'm not going to use a stopwatch. I will use these precious times to worship, take communion, read my Bible, study devotional resources, listen to sermons, watch strategic DVD's, pray, write thoughts like this one and so on.
I've got a hunch that all the other categories of my goals will fall into place once I begin living life in the right order and putting first things first. If I can discipline myself to show up to spend time with God in the evening, morning, and around noon each day, I think my life is going to take a turn for the better.
Time will tell. And eternity will too.
DSR
12/27/05