It Starts in the Quiet Moments

Luke 22:39-46; Matthew 6:6

                In a time when the world is so on fire for God and ready to go out into this world to share the gospel, I want to take a few minutes to touch on something. Let me start by saying that the revival that I’ve seen starting to take place in this world is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. I am in awe seeing posts and pictures and videos of people sharing their love for Jesus like never before. Whether it’s thousands of people raising their hands in humbleness and singing praises to God or if it’s one individual that has told the story of them stepping into a church or opening their Bible for the first time in years. This revival that we’re starting to see is what Christians everywhere have prayed to see for so long. God’s capability of using what the enemy meant for evil and turning it for good is indescribable. As Christians, being willing and ready to go out into this world to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others is the entire job that God sent us here to do. If you are one of the ones that has made that commitment to get out and be the servant of Jesus that He called us to be, I want you to know you’re being prayed for. Bless you for taking that initiative and that next step out in obedience for the sake of the gospel. Here’s the message that I have for you: let it start in the quiet moments.

                Your ministry is not meant to only be spoken into microphones or posted on your social media pages. That is not to say that you shouldn’t use those outlets because you 100% should, but rather that it shouldn’t be the only place we’re living for God. My meaning with this is that our ministry should start in the quiet moments when no one else is watching. The 3am prayers, the Bible studies before bed or early in the mornings, the car rides to work listening to gospel music, the tears you cry in the shower when no one else is around because you don’t know the words to pray, and the devotions you read on your lunch break. The times of genuine prayer and study when you’re away from the world, simply you and God, where you can wait and listen for what He has to say. If your ministry doesn’t start in the quiet moments with your Father, chances are your ministry is going to fall apart. And I promise that statement is not meant to be a discouragement, but rather an encouragement. Let me explain a little further.

                We’re going to jump back to Luke’s account of the Garden of Gethsemane for a minute. Before His crucifixion, Jesus took the time to do exactly what I am digging into in this week’s devotion, and who better to use as an example of how we should live than Jesus? Pull out your Bibles, flip to Luke 22 and read through verses 39-46. Jesus had the most prevalent and recognized platform in all of history: the cross of Calvary. In this passage, Jesus knew the cross was coming. He knew the soldiers were on their way, with Judas leading the army. He knew that He was about to be beaten in front of multitudes, nailed to that tree, raised into the air to pay the price for mine and yours sin debt. He knew this was the platform He was going to use to share the gospel for the rest of history. But first, He sought out a quiet moment. He went off on His own for a bit and went straight to the Father, begging and pleading with God for another way, but if not, for His will to be done. Verse 43 tells us that God sent an angel in this moment that strengthened Him. This quiet moment was where He found strength. And that’s exactly where we will find strength as well.

                Even Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of this world, started off in the quiet moments with His Father before stepping up to His platform and providing us with the gospel. We are called to follow Christ’s example. We’re called to seek out those quiet moments with God. Matthew 6:6 tells us, “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Our relationship with God is so much more than what unbelievers realize. It’s about having an intimate relationship with God. It’s about seeking God’s face above every other. It’s about laying our cares and worries at the feet of Jesus. It’s about coming to the Father in humbleness and adoration because of the simple fact that He loves us so much despite our shortcomings and failures. It’s about seeking out the quiet moments with God because He deserves our worship, our effort, and our time. It’s about serving a God that loves you so much that above all else, He wants to have a personal relationship with you and me. He wants us to come to Him with the good and the bad, seeking guidance and direction, with a heart of thankfulness, and a life ready and willing to do the job He called us to do. But we can’t do that job to our full potential if we don’t seek out that quiet time with God and ask Him to lead us through it. To ask Him what to say. To plead for opportunities and chances to tell others exactly what He did for us and what He can do for them. God truly is the best friend we could ever ask for, and He wants nothing more than to be able to sit in those quiet moments with you and be that friend for you and for me. Then, He wants to walk hand in hand with you as you're out doing His will and sharing the gospel with every single person you possibly can.