Q & A with Author Nick Harrison, Part 2

If you missed Part 1 of the Q & A with Nick Harrison, senior editor at Harvest House Publishers and author of five devotional books, you missed a lot. Go back and read it, and then enjoy Part 2.

And if you are looking for some new devotional material, I hope you will stop by Nick’s website and pick up one or two of his books.

You became a Christian through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ during the Jesus Movement of the 1970s. How long did it take you to establish a devotional life and what did it look like initially?

Early on, I used the popular devotionals such as “My Utmost for His Highest” and “Streams in the Desert.” Every Christian should go through those books several times in their lifetime.

As you matured in the faith, how did that change?

I became a bit less rigid in my desire to read a daily devotional and changed more to books that were simply devotional in nature. These would include some of those writers I quote often: Andrew Murray, Hannah Whitall Smith, Watchman Nee, and others.

What types of devotional material do you use today? Are you working through a certain devotional book right now?

I’m still reading the old writers. I find that they take me to a place many contemporary writers don’t. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate the contemporary writers – I do. But for growth and for the devotional life, I really prefer the classic authors.

Do you have any practical tips for us regarding our devotional time – anything that has worked well for you (like keeping a spiritual journal, or meeting with God at the same time every day, etc.)?

I often hear people saying that devotions are best done in the morning. Maybe that’s true for some, but I don’t think that’s true of everyone. I’m more of a night person and I can enjoy time with the Lord more in the evening than in the morning.

I would say that everyone should find the time, the place, and the reading matter that’s right for them and forget about rules – with one possible exception, and that’s that some of us have to set aside a specific time to be alone with God or it won’t happen. We get so easily distracted. Choose a time that works for you and consider it as if it’s an appointment. We wouldn’t easily skip a doctor’s appointment or a lunch date with a friend; neither should we want to skip a set time we meet with the Lord.

Above all, our time with God should be natural, not forced. If it’s forced, try to find ways to make it more natural. Change locations, the time, or the format. Or if you’re just starting, don’t try to make it a long appointment. Start with five or ten minutes and see if it grows over time.

Everybody is busy these days. But let’s talk specifically about men right now. Few of us work eight hours a day without being accessible to the office via our smart phones. We want to spend time with our family and attend our children’s extracurricular activities. We also need downtime. And usually, one of the first things to go when life gets busy is our daily devotional time. Why is it so important for us to make time to spend with God every day?

I think the simplest reason is that we become like those we spend the most time with. If we spend a lot of time in front of TV, we’ll begin to adopt the attitudes and persona of those we watch on the tube. If we spend more time with the Lord, we will become more like Him.

Another benefit is that being still with the Lord (and being still should be part of our time with Him) helps us quiet our souls. I have a problem with quieting my soul. My soul is very easily stimulated and can jump from one thing to the next without thinking. Being quiet helps me learn stillness. For me, that’s important.

Being busy is no excuse. Martin Luther reportedly said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” I’m not there yet (praying three hours on busy days) and never will be, but then I’m not called to be Martin Luther. That’s really an important lesson: we all need to find our identity in Christ and our calling in this life and then live it out as faithfully as we can. I’m convinced if a person does that, he or she will have a happy productive life.