Lisa Barry: When I was single, my quiet times were so rich. I could go on as long as I wanted with no interruptions except for an occasional trip to the fridge for another diet soda. But now with a husband and three children, those days of endless meditation are a distant memory. Today on Gateway To Joy, Elisabeth Elliot talks specifically to us mothers who want to make that quiet time a priority again. So whether you just need a little fresh motivation or you need a whole revamping of your schedule, Elisabeth has ideas for everyone. Let's get started.

Elisabeth Elliot: "You are loved with an everlasting love." That's what the Bible says, "and underneath are the everlasting arms." This is your friend, Elisabeth Elliot, talking again today about being alone with God.

Some folks would call this "devotions." Whatever you want to call it, time alone with God is an essential element of the Christian life. We need not only to go to church and to join with other people in prayer and Bible reading and Bible study, but we need time alone with God. That's the time when we can examine our own hearts, straighten out our priorities for the day, lay our requests before God and listen to what God might have to say to us.

We need to practice solitude. For some of you that may be literally impossible, depending upon your living situation. Even if you have to use a closet or a bathroom or maybe the car in the garage, maybe you can find a solitary place. But if not, there is such a thing as solitude of spirit--quietness inside. Pause as you go up the stairs. Lift up your heart and say, "Thank you Lord. Help me."

If you are a mother there may be many occasions when what you need to do is to kneel down in the kitchen with your arms around two little children and pray, "Lord, give me wisdom." Perhaps you have settled yourself very comfortably in your solitary room, in a nice comfortable chair at six o'clock in the morning when no body else is awake, you think. And you're just breathing a great sigh of relief that you have this time alone with God and in come one or two of your little children. And what do you do? You include them, of course. You don't send them away.

My mother, of course, had a special quiet time after everybody had gone off to school. But, if she had a young child at home who had not yet started school, that child was given to understand that as a rule, Momma had quiet time and he was not to interrupt. But it goes without saying that a mother is always available if there is an emergency.

I find myself often just lifting up my heart to God. It just means saying, "Lord, I lift up my heart to You." Maybe because He knows I've suffered some hurt or maybe because a thought has just flown through my mind, maybe it's because of something I want to thank Him about. But in one way or another, I want to refer it to God. So I say, "Lord, I lift up my heart." And in certain churches when the Pastor says, "Lift up your hearts," the congregation responds audibly, "We lift them up to You."

In the office, can you have solitude of spirit once in a while? Can you lift up your heart just in a SOS and say, "Lord, help me to be gracious to this difficult person." These are just those little SOS prayers. But can you manage ten or fifteen unbroken minutes first thing in the morning--to get your bearings, to plot your course under God's direction and to take your position as His child, His servant?

I would recommend that you keep a notebook handy and write down lessons that you are learning. Maybe there is just one particular verse that has stood out in your Bible reading, or some sin that the Lord has brought to your mind that you have been struggling with. Why not make a note? Just jot it down and ask the Lord to help you to pray about that.

Again, I'd like to read from A. W. Tozer's little leaflet Exposition Must Have Application:

"Bible exposition without moral application raises no opposition." That's a memorable statement isn't it?

"Bible exposition without moral application raises no opposition. It is only when the hearer is made to understand that truth is in conflict with his heart that resistance sets in. As long as people can hear orthodox truth divorced from life they will attend and support churches and institutions without objection. The truth is a lovely song, become sweet by a long and tender association; and since it asks nothing but a few dollars, and offers good music, pleasant friendships and a comfortable sense of well-being, it meets with no resistance from the faithful. Much that passes for New Testament Christianity is little more than objective truth sweetened with song and made palatable by religious entertainment."

I'm afraid that's getting to be more and more the case. A. W. Tozer has been with the Lord for some time. He hasn't been around lately, but I certainly see the truth of this statement. Let me read it again. "Much that passes for New Testament Christianity is little more than objective truth sweetened with song and made palatable by religious entertainment."

Many people have the idea now that worship means singing or listening to music. I would not eliminate those as possible forms of worship, but worship means a great deal more than that and the highest form of worship is obedience--my personal, humble, daily obedience. It's easy to go and sit in church. It's easy to listen to some kinds of music (I find it very difficult to listen to certain kinds of music that we are subject to in some churches). But, the great thing is, what difference does it make in my life?

"Probably no other portion of Scriptures can compare with Pauline Epistles when it comes to making artificial saints." This is A. W. Tozer now, I'm continuing, "no other portion of Scriptures can compare with the Pauline Epistles when it comes to making artificial saints. Peter warned that the unlearned and unstable would wrest Paul's writings to their own destruction, and we have only to visit the average Bible conference and listen to a few lectures to know what he meant!

"The ominous thing is that the Pauline doctrines may be taught with complete faithfulness to the letter of the text without making the hearers one whit better. The teacher may and often does so teach the truth as to leave the hearers without a sense of moral obligation."

I have to pause over those words because I am teaching on this program. It's my purpose to build up and encourage Christians and to call others who would like to be Christians, to Jesus Christ.

But, do I leave you day by day without a sense of moral obligation? Am I failing to help you see that it's no good listening Elisabeth Elliot and Gateway To Joy and all the stuff that I read to you which is so rich spiritually, without reminding you that you personally have to do something about it? And I'm speaking to those who are Christians and those who are not Christians. If you hear the Word of God, you have a responsibility. You have to do something. What are you going to do?

"The teacher may and often does so teach the truth as to leave the hearers without a sense of moral obligation."

Now, if you would like some very sound, good scriptural help with your devotions, I would strongly recommend Scripture Union materials. They have a daily devotional guide. They have a special one for children from 7 to 10 called "Quest." They have another one for children 11 to 15 called "One to One." They have one for adults called "Discovery" and one for parents to use with children ages 5 and 6 called "Find Out." And they even have one for children 3 to 5 years old called "King's Street." And then there's one called "Time for the Family."

So I think you will find something to suit every single member of the family and maybe the whole family together. Everything for adults down to children three years old, available from Scripture Union. So, if you will call Gateway To Joy, you can receive information about this wonderful scriptural devotional guide.

Tozer says, "One reason for the divorce between truth and life may be lack of the Spirit's illumination. Another surely is the teacher's unwillingness to get himself into trouble."

And that's where the rubber meets the road, isn't it? I do get myself into a fair measure of trouble because of some of the things that I say on this program. I always want to emphasize that it is the Bible that is my guide. It is the Holy Spirit, it is Christ Himself whom I trust to help me to be faithful to His Word--but also to help me to be a faithful doer of the Word that I'm sharing with other people.

And there are some very tough things in the Bible that I'd just as soon skip over. I don't always skip over them, and I do get myself into trouble. Would you please pray that I will not be a teacher unwilling to get myself into trouble, but that I may be faithful to give you the whole counsel of God.

Tozer says, "Any man with fair pulpit gifts can get on with the average congregation if he just 'feeds' them and lets them alone. Give them plenty of objective truth and never hint that they are wrong and should be set right, and they will be content!"

May the Lord guide you as you seek time alone with Him.

Lisa Barry: I've learned a lot this week about how to find time alone with God and I'm sure you have, too. In fact, you can even write down your discoveries in a new Study Journal from Gateway To Joy. It's a great way to organize a devotional time and keep track of your prayer requests or biblical applications. And it just happens to be one of the things offered in our new Devotional Packet.

You'll also find Elisabeth's most recent book called The Music of His Promises. Here's what she says about the book, "Whether or not you can take what life dishes out, depends on what you take first. If you take from the grace of God, the strength offered, you will find it absolutely sufficient to cover any need." If you want to be a good soldier than you had better get the right training and this book is spiritual boot camp.

We are making the Devotional Packet available to those of you who ask for it. We'd also like to suggest a donation of $16.00 for that resource. Our toll-free number is 1-800-759-4JOY. That's 1-800-759-4569. Or you can write to:

Gateway To Joy, Box 82500, Lincoln, NE 68501. Or log on to our newly updated Web site at gatewaytojoy.org. Gateway To Joy has been a production of Back to the Bible.

Elisabeth Elliot talks more about time alone with God next time, so be sure and join us then for the next Gateway To Joy.