Good Evening Lord | Northstar Church

“Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.” – James 4:8.

After a long day of work, most people envision an evening of relaxation and maybe watching some TV. But even though having the rest of the night to do whatever you want sounds amazing, there are ways to make the most of your night and be just a little bit more productive. While chilling and watching TV can be very entertaining, sometimes the best use of your time is to spend it doing something that makes you prepared for tomorrow and five years from now.

Rather than watching TV or working on your computer till midnight, maybe it would benefit you more to get some additional sleep. Or maybe you would be better served planning for the next day, or in Bible study or searching ways to better use your gifts. Maybe the time would be better served going deeper in spiritual, physical or creative activities and studies.

But here is something to keep in mind: God can show up at any time. God will not limit Himself to your designated time for Bible study and prayer. You could be adding some structure to your evenings, planning the day or week ahead when the presence of God shows up. You could be sleeping when God jolts you awake. You may initially grumble that God does not respect your schedule. But if God shows up there is a reason. If God is trying to get your attention there is a purpose.

It doesn’t matter when God wants to communicate with us. We need to learn how to recognize God’s still, small whispers to our hearts. We get so enamored with our schedule, we expect God to be enamored with it as well. The truth is we should never be too busy for God. God loves us enough to communicate with us, even if that means shaking us out of our daily routine to get our attention.

In the morning and evening we need to recognize His presence. We need to come close to God, and God will come close to us. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world also needs to recognize that God can and will sovereignly choose how He speaks to us and leads us. We also need to avoid becoming routinized in how we expect to experience God’s presence.

When you draw near to God, He promises to draw near to you ( James 4:8). Not just as something that happens occasionally, but throughout your days, every day, so that all of your life, even the most ordinary parts, becomes extraordinary because it’s infused with His presence. And it is there, in his presence, that you’ll find fullness of joy, no matter what is going on in your life. “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.” (Psalm 16:11).

Discussion Questions:

How can the time between evening and morning be so important?
What can we do this week to recognize the importance of the evening hours?