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I’ve been re-reading Gordon MacDonald’s book titled “Ordering Your Private World”. It’s a keeper! A friend saw it on my shelf and said the same thing.

One thing MacDonald emphasizes is that, in order to arrange your private world, it’s important to prioritize your personal time with God. I’ve heard this said time and time again:  schedule your time with God with the same importance as any other appointment you’ve made. Make it a priority.

Good advice. However, it can be way too easy to make it into a legalistic, works-oriented activity. And I hate that, don’t you?

I’ve been a Christian for about 60 years (feeling pretty old, here!). In all that time, no matter what others said, I never set my “God time” as a schedule. It was more like “catch as catch can”. I never really missed it. I didn’t get much benefit from it, either.

Then, in 1999, the PTSD symptoms hit: severe vocal cord dysfunction attacked in my sleep. The spasms temporarily cut off my breathing. Stopped it cold. After medical evaluation and then counselor diagnosis followed by eleven years of biweekly sessions, it finally made sense. I had to have time with God in order to make it through each day. When the enemy attacked, I could remember what God had told me that morning, and counterattack.

Now, I do believe that the actual time is not all that exacting. I try to have “God time” every morning around nine o’clock. It works for me. As a retiree, I don’t usually have a lot to do in the mornings, so no time crunch. I sit in my recliner and focus on Jesus, thanking Him for His continual presence, for His goodness to me, and for other things at they come to mind. It’s not unusual for me to have tears of gratitude, especially considering all I’ve been through.

Then I pray for others as He brings them to my mind. Often, I bless them with His love and power, His provision and strength.

I read the daily entry in the devotional my friend gave to me a couple years ago. There is a short prayer after each entry; I read these aloud to help the truths get into my heart. To finish up, I submit myself and my day to Him. I ask Him to order my day, asking Him to help me accomplish whatever needs to get done that day. And it may not even be what I think I have to do.

He doesn’t pressure me, so I don’t have to pressure myself.

He is not a god of confusion. His burden is light. And, though I can’t always perceive Him, He never leaves me.

And He never leaves you.