What does it mean to sit before the Lord?

Perhaps the greatest key to spiritual growth is spending time alone with the Lord. This means taking the time to speak with God about whatever is on your heart — and, even more importantly, allowing Him to speak to you.

God called King David “a man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22). To win that kind of reputation, David first needed to know the mind and heart of God so that he might be and do what the Lord desired of him. David sought to know God. He frequently “inquired” of the Lord. He spent time in the Lord’s presence, singing to the Lord from the depths of his heart. In 2 Samuel 7:18, we read, “Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said, ‘Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?’”

What did it mean for David to sit before the Lord? It means that he spent time alone in the presence of God, communicating with the Lord from the depths of his heart, asking Him questions, and listening quietly for the Lord’s answers.

Jesus frequently sought time apart with His heavenly Father. Time with the Father provided Him with a source of comfort and strength. Jesus also sought time alone with His disciples so that He might teach them and they might find spiritual refreshment (Luke 9:17–24).

We are wise if we choose to spend time alone with God, in a place without distractions or interruptions, for a period sufficient for us to relax completely and focus our attention fully upon the Lord and His Word. We must be willing to wait in the Lord’s presence until we receive God’s directives or His words of comfort.

Why don’t many of us desire to spend time alone with God? The foremost reason is that we don’t feel sure of our relationship with God and, therefore, we feel afraid of God.

But those who are born again spiritually have a Father-child relationship with the Lord. Our heavenly Father loves us unconditionally and deals with us tenderly and patiently. The more we learn what He’s really like — the more we see Him as He truly is — the more we will long to spend time alone with Him . . . and the more we will know the fullness of His grace.

Taken from The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible