The Quiet Time Nobody Wants To Have

My quiet times are the most important and valuable part of my days, as with so many of you. Many times such devotions have to be fought for. Early hours and or late nights are the only way to keep those quiet times consistent. They are more than important They are vital. Crucial to maintain a vibrant faith.

Over the years I have had some profound encounters with the Lord in my private times. In mind I go back to a quiet time near the shore of Lake Palestine sitting at a picnic table. I think of a time I had with the Lord in the mountains of New Mexico. I think of numerous encounters I've had at the prayer cabin over the past two decades. I think of one in a green lounge chair in my living room in Hudson, TX as well as some in the prayer room at FBC Seminole.

Those encounters with God are the life blood of my walk with Him. I know it is the same for you. We are nourished in those times. Rebuked. Encouraged. Consoled and comforted. Called in new directions. Our times with God can spin in many different directions depending on the need of the moment. Usually we read scripture. We ponder truth. We pray. Some worship through music. Some sit silently listening for the still small voice of our Creator. Some write in journals. Some kneel. Some prostrate themselves before the only true King Jesus.

I can assure you I read a passage today about a quiet time nobody reading this would want to have. Before I share it with you I'd like to ask a few questions.

Is God the ultimate authority in the universe? If so, does that include your life? Does He have the right and authority to command you to do anything? Is your only Biblical response to submit to His authority and obey Him if you want to honor God? What if His commands are illogical? What if your obedience makes you look foolish to those watching? What if nobody understands? What even those closest to you do not believe you heard from God at all?

We like devotions that encourage and words from the Lord that inspire and strengthen. There are hundreds of devotion books written each year and more written over the past centuries. You can have all sorts of devotional experiences from people like Charles Spurgeon, Watchman Nee, Oswald Chambers, Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley, Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, Ann Graham Lotz, Billy Graham and so on. I bet if you read eery one of them from cover to cover you would not have a quiet time our Bible character had I will soon show you.

We prefer upbeat, positive, simple, devotional thoughts. Not stuff that is too deep. Our generation is fast losing touch with the deep walkers with God from centuries past. Those who walked alone, preferred the company of God over the company of people, and did not begrudge solitude nor silence. These are the breeding grounds for a deep walk with God.

Here we go. Ready or not you may not believe God would actually lead one of his servants to do such a thing. Not just a servant. One of His prophets. A major prophet who heard clearly from the Lord. Read carefully.

Isaiah 20:2 (ESV)
²  at that time the LORD spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go, and loose the sackcloth from your waist and take off your sandals from your feet,” and he did so, walking naked and barefoot. 


Just in case you do not fully understand what God required of Isaiah let me also include verse three to leave no doubt.

Isaiah 20:3 (ESV) 
³  Then the LORD said, “As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and a portent against Egypt and Cush, 

God commanded Isaiah to walk around naked and barefooted. For THREE LONG HUMILIATING YEARS. Totally absurd. Yet the scripture is clear. The LORD, meaning Yahweh or Jehovah, spoke these words to His prophet. Totally humiliating. Who believed this man of God really heard God tell him to drop his sackcloth and take off his sandals? How many of his contemporary prophets doubted Isaiah on that one. 

I am sure Isaiah was the talk of the town. How many doubted he really heard from God. How many former associates steered a wide path form the once honored prophet out of embarrassment. How many ridiculed him to his face and behind his back. For what? FOR OBEYING GOD!

I told you this is the quiet time nobody wants to have. Nobody wants God to tell them to do something that makes no sense, will bring ridicule, and looks so foolish to family and friends. 

Not once in my three decades as a follower of Jesus have I ever read a devotion on this passage in a devotion book. I would never have stumbled on this passage if I had not been reading through the book Isaiah in my quiet times. 

Those two verses stopped me in my tracks. I thought of the close walk the prophet had with Jehovah to hear Him clearly and the strong faith he had to obey God's command. How would we respond if God clearly commanded us to do something so outlandish nobody would believe we were obeying God? Would we talk ourselves out of it? Would we rationalize it away? Would we dismiss the whole thing in an act of rebellion?

Obedience to Jehovah is not always easy. He does require some unusual things from His servants. I praise Him I have never received any commands like Isaiah did that day and do not expect to. That is not the point. The point is God has the right to demand anything of us. Empty your pockets. Empty your savings for a kingdom cause. Uproot and move. Forsake the American dream for God's kingdom dream. Talk to a stranger about their salvation. Rebuke a family member or friend over sin. Confess your sin to a trusted individual. Wash someone's feet. Express worship in a way that is not widely accepted in your circles. 

Each one of those things brings us to what Henry Blackaby called the "crisis of belief." We have to choose to believe God and obey or doubt and disobey. 

We better be very careful about flippantly going through our devotions. On any given day God could show up and demand something outrageously outlandish of any and all of us. Then it will come down to faith and obedience just like it did for Isaiah. May we always choose the path of obedience no matter how foolish we look.