Most mornings I wake at 5 a.m. so I have plenty of time to sit with the Lord before the day begins. I just finished the book of Hebrews in the Bible.
Consistent reading keeps God’s Word constantly before me, so I can practice it as I interact with people.
Author Cynthia Heald wrote, “I need the cutting edge of the Scriptures daily, and I have found that any amount of time I spend reading the Word is always profitable.”1 Her statement referred to Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” NLT
In her book “Living Wisely,” Heald gives a tip I want to share for it helps us consistently study God’s Word. And this ensures it’s written on our heart and ever ready to guide us along the paths of righteousness.
Her suggestion is to create a portable carrying case with a Bible, a notebook or journal, a devotional book, and Bible study or nonfiction, Christian book. She uses a cloth bag, but it could be a backpack, briefcase, or even a small box.
This bag is kept next to the chair she sits in for early morning devotions. But when she leaves the house, it goes with her so she can study whenever time allows providing opportunities throughout the day even when she has sat at Jesus’ feet that morning. She calls this “pitching her tent.”
The concept was gleaned from “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers. Highlighting Genesis 12:8 he wrote that Abraham built an altar and worshipped the Lord between Bethel, a symbol of communion with God, and Ai, a symbol of the world. “Abraham pitched his tent between the two,” wrote Chambers. “We have to pitch our tents where we shall always have quiet times with God, however noisy our times with the world may be.”2
He warned that thinking you missed your chance if a morning slipped by without quiet time was a snare. Heald writes: “The snare was my thinking that if I missed the early-morning quiet time, then I would have to wait until the next morning to spend time with God. It has been freeing to have my tent ready to pitch whenever I can find a few moments to myself in the midst of a busy world.”
During the summer, I am frequently stopped for roadwork as I drive the mountain roads where I live. Waiting for the pilot car to lead my lane of traffic through the construction site can take 10 minutes to a half hour depending on what the crews are doing when I arrive. But the time is well spent for I pitch my tent at traffic stops.
Are you too rushed in the morning to read your Bible? Take your tent with you so you can pitch it during your lunch break, waiting for a flight, or in a doctor’s waiting room. Pitch your tent wherever you are as time allows.
Let’s Talk
1-Have you found you skip reading the Bible if you miss quiet time in the mornings? When might you “pitch your tent” during the day?
2-How has consistently reading your Bible helped you grow in your knowledge of Christ and His ways?
References:
1-“Living Wisely, Believing the Truths of Scripture” by Cynthia Heald a NavPress resource published in alliance with Tyndale House Publishers.
2-“My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers. January 6 devotion.
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