Luke 24:32
And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

We should be able to tell when we’ve spent time with the Lord.  His presence should stir something within our hearts as our spirit communes with His.  We should come out a little bit different from our devotions and church services and Bible studies from having been with God and having heard from His Word.  When it is Jesus talking with us by the way, those divine whispers should produce a change in us, revive us a little bit out of the drudgery and the deadness, the sadness and the heartache of whatever we are struggling through.

It’s not just about provoking some good feeling or emotion, but it is about connecting with God.  It’s about hearing Him and paying attention to what He’s saying so we can do what He wants us to and live lives that please Him.  It’s about fellowshipping with our Creator and enjoying Him as much as He enjoys us.  It’s about knowing Him better and consequently knowing better who we are in Him.  Our time with the Lord is not a duty to be done so we can say we did so, but it’s about building a relationship with Him.

Because when we open the Scriptures, it is God speaking to us down through the ages, a whisper from the divine to the mortal that assures us of His love and His presence and His truth.  It’s a conversation with the one who formed us and breathed life into us, the one who knows everything about us and who loves us more than we can really understand.  The Scriptures are His way of reaching out to us, a gift He’s given to continue molding us and making us as we seek Him there.

Any time we spend with the Lord is precious.  Let’s be willing to listen and to heed what He is saying to us.  Let’s find comfort and strength from His Word, guidance and wisdom.  Let’s engage with our God and learn at His feet those lessons that will change us and change our lives.  Because He reveals to us there His mercy and love.  He shows us His Son and what He has done for us.  And He gives us hope and joy and peace from the knowledge that we find there in His Word.