Knowing God very intimately doesn't happen overnight. It also doesn't happen in the comfort of being in a large group of people during church services. We all have to learn the art of spending time with the Lord in quiet – thus this moment is usually called "quiet time."

Choose to be still

Being still is not an easy thing to do, what with all the racket and busyness all around us. We all have a lot of things to do, with lessening time to do it. Many often wondered how they will be able to spend time with God to know Him while balancing their responsibilities.

The Bible presents to us many examples of how to know God. If we really want to know Him, we must decide to do it intentionally. Consider Mary and Martha's story at the time when the Lord Jesus visited them, as seen in Luke 10:38-42.

"As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, 'Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.' But the Lord said to her, 'My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.'"

Many of us want to say that we're like Mary, but in reality, we're like Martha who's focused on her responsibilities instead of spending time with Jesus. We are often distracted by the many goals, tasks, bills, and other responsibilities that we have.

Choose the most important thing

Friends, it all boils down to this: choosing what really matters most to you. Ask yourself, "Is God my top priority?" If you can't say yes to that considering how you spend your time, your resource and everything, then you have to decide to work it out.

My friends, let's be like Mary. Yes, we all have responsibilities and tasks to do, including the necessity of relieving the weight on our shoulders. But nothing is more important than our relationship with God. Learn to quiet yourself and stop fussing about the day's work.

Remember, it's called "quiet time" because we quiet ourselves so that we could listen to God.

"I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer."– Martin Luther