November 3rd, 2023
During a recent Friday morning study with some guys, we landed on the topic of our quiet times. As one of my friends shared, “I do my quiet time when I wake up, say “Good morning” to God, and then I go my own way and spend the rest of my day disconnected from Him.”
It was an honest and transparent description of the relationship many of us have with the Lord.
We wake up, spend some time in the Word and prayer, and then go on with our day. Often, we move quickly from this time of intimate connection into days spent on auto-pilot, trying to check all the boxes and hold everything together until we crash for the night so we can do it all over again tomorrow. In this race to the end of the day, we never loop back and reconnect with God. Instead, we try to do it all on our own.
Today, that’s the concept we want to share: Looping.
What if, instead of talking to God once in the morning, we spent our day looping Him back in? Walking into a challenging 10:00 meeting, we loop God back in and ask Him for guidance. Sitting down to lunch, we loop God in and thank Him for our food and the people we’re sharing the meal with. Working on a project in the afternoon, we loop God back in again and ask him for the clarity and energy to do our work well. Driving home through traffic at the end of the day, we loop God in, asking Him for patience and thanking Him for the family we’re about to rejoin over dinner.
The point of looping is simple. Rather than one conversation with God that we think will sustain us for an entire day, we loop him in and out of our day, bringing him into each situation. We create ongoing conversations with God that last instead of one quick check-in that fades.
Here’s the crazy part. God wants you to loop Him into your day. He wants to stand alongside you in the challenges, the wins and the losses, and throughout all the moments your day brings.
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
– Psalm 1:1-2 NIV
“Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
– 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
To be clear, there are times in our lives when looping God in is easier than others. When big challenges arise, the kind we can’t handle on our own, we are more prone to looping God in.
Often, though, our days come with distractions and challenges that try to draw our attention away from this most important relationship in our lives. We will be tempted to try and handle our challenges on our own and to leave God where we left Him, in that early morning quiet time. Remembering to loop God back in is not always easy – but when we do loop Him back in, the amount of peace, joy, and contentment we receive will quickly remind us of His power in our lives.
Even as you’re reading this right now, loop Him back in.
Ask God right now to point your heart back toward Him, and in those moments today where you need Him, ask God to remind you to loop Him in. Loop God into your challenges, into the moments where you feel gratitude, and into those areas of your life where His presence will meet needs you cannot meet on your own.
Include Him in your day beyond your morning quiet time, prayers, and devotions.
He’s waiting for you. Loop Him in.
