When I was a young believer in middle school, I heard a college student tell about her roommate who was studying to be a pharmacist. She got up every morning, picked up her Bible, and read as she paced back and forth in her room. She was so exhausted that she had to walk in order to stay awake.
I wish I could say I have followed that pattern in school. Because of a busy school schedule, I have skipped Bible reading and prayer often. When I neglect time alone with God, it makes me like a rag doll – empty, weak, but with a smile stuck on my face. My prayer is that next semester, by God’s grace, I will follow my own advice here.
Why read?
If you are a believer, you desire to love God and obey Him. Knowledge fuels love, and knowledge comes from His Word. There we find who He is and what He has done. Descriptions of God, promises to His children, warnings against sin, commands to obedience, reports of His faithfulness, so much lies within the Bible. We cannot live by bread alone. The believer will be miserable if he or she does not take in God’s Word. It is our duty; it is our delight.
Read in the morning
I am not a morning person, but I think that mornings are the best time to read. Meet with God before the distractions of the day come crashing in. If you can read in the morning, leave your phone in your dorm room, find somewhere private, and read and pray there.
If you cannot sit down for a full quiet time in the morning, read a small passage and come back to it that night. Set your mind in the right direction. During the school year, I have eighteen plus hours of classes along with 5:20 a.m. cross country practices two or three times a week. My classes begin at eight o’clock. However, I am almost always able to find ten minutes to read something, whether waiting for the shower or sitting in the dining hall.
I do not like to read my Bible at night. I feel rushed as I know that an early morning run is coming soon, and, “I need sleep.” But don’t I need God more? How often my flesh and my heart fail.
Focus on Him
I am never finished with homework. I wake up thinking about what paper needs working on and go to sleep reminding myself to study that PowerPoint tomorrow. It is difficult to set those thoughts aside during my quiet time. It is also difficult to sit somewhere comfortable with my eyes closed without repeating the same phrase in prayer or falling asleep.
My mother often sits on the couch with a notebook or laptop during her quiet time. When I was younger, I would ask her what she was doing, and she would reply, “Praying.” (With your eyes open? I thought.) In order to stay focused and conscious, I have started to write or type my prayers or pray aloud. I throw away the paper or delete the document afterward.
Don’t depend on your willpower
Trying hard is right. Making time to read about and talk to God during the school year will require trying. I speak from experience when I say that my love is often too cold to try, and attempting to stoke up my love is useless. Depending on your efforts and your love leads to despair. Run to the One who not only forgives but also loves and strengthens.
My pastor has said, “Don’t give God something that costs you nothing.” If you are in college, balancing classes, homework, and work, spending time alone with the Lord will cost you. It may cost you sleep, time with friends, or study time, but it is much better to talk to and learn of God than to live a 4.0 life without His nearness.
I am convicted as I remember that pharmacy student walking to stay awake. She understood her need for God, and she knew that He was more than enough.
