Are you tired of quiet times that leave you feeling empty? Tired of spending time in the Word of God only to forget what you read by noon? Maybe you made a goal this year to get closer to the Lord, read the Bible through, or do something similar. But, here it is, the end of January, and you have already fallen behind on your reading plan, and having a quiet time seems to be impossible. Here is the good news, God’s mercies are new every morning. We don’t have to wait until next January to try again. (Spoiler alert: That is a trick of the enemy. Don’t let him win.)
I want you to think about your “why” for a minute. Why did you want to get up early? Why did you want to read the entire Bible? I imagine your answer is something like, “I want to get closer to God.” The Bible says that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. (James 4:8) There is something really powerful about this scripture. Have you ever wanted to get close to someone, and they pulled away? It can be hurtful. God is not like that. If you make a choice to move towards Him, to get closer to Him, to know Him better, He will come towards you. He will draw near to you. He won’t disappoint you.
The Lord has been taking me on a journey that has impacted my quiet time and deepened my relationship with Him. I want to take a few minutes to share some tips that you may find helpful.
Have a plan.
Planning ahead sets you up for success.
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- When and where will you spend dedicated time with the Lord? If possible, put your cell phone away or put it on do not disturb. If you are not a morning person, ask yourself, what can I do to start your day with Him? Maybe, it is as simple as starting your day by saying good morning, Lord. Your will be done in my life today. (Your significant time with Him is later in the day or evening.) Morning people, are you remembering to close your day out with Him?
If you wake me each morning with the sound of your loving voice, I’ll go to sleep each night trusting in you. Point out the road I must travel; I’m all ears, all eyes before you. Save me from my enemies, God – you’re my only hope! Teach me how to live to please you, because you’re my God. Psalm 143:8-9 MSG
2. What will you read, study or meditate on? At the beginning of the month, I add the scriptures I will be focusing on to my planner. I am listening to larger portions of scripture, but I am focusing on a much shorter passage. Now when I sit down with the Lord, I have a place to start. Shorter passages of scripture allow me to go deeper. Was there a promise, a principle to live by, an example to follow, or a lesson to learn? Maybe there is a word I want to look up and follow the cross-references. (Stay open to His leading. If you start to read and the Lord draws your heart to a different passage, go there.
Lasting impact.
3. Start your time with the Lord in prayer. Pray a Scripture over your time with Him.
For example, a personalized prayer from Ephesians 1:17-18 – I ask you, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give me spiritual wisdom and understanding so that I may grow in my love for you. I pray that the eyes of my heart and understanding will be flooded with your light so that I can know the hope and glorious future you have planned for me.
4. Journal. Write down your key takeaways. What did the Lord speak to you?
Pausing to answer this will help you remember and live it out. Don’t skip this. There is something really powerful about writing it down. Not only does it help you retain the information, but it will also help hold you accountable to what the Lord shows you.
5. Do it! James 1:22NLT says “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” Ask God what He wants you to do with what you read. Trust me, He will speak to you.
6. Review. At the beginning of the new week, look back at your key takeaways. Look at your action steps. Did you do them? If not, make a plan now as to how you will honor the Lord with your obedience.
Back-Up Plan
7. Plan for the challenges. When you discover certain days are always difficult, create a backup plan. For me, my travel days for work throw me off. I asked the Lord for a plan, and He gave it to me. I pray and spend time in worship while I drive. I listen to the Bible on YouVersion. Then, I record my journal entries on my phone. When I get home or the next day, I transcribe it into my journal.
8. Don’t Quit. If you miss a day, don’t quit. Start again. If you don’t feel like your quiet time is working or impacting your walk with the Lord, don’t quit. Ask Him to show you His plan for your special time with Him.
Which tips will you start to implement? How are they working for you? We’d love to hear from you!
Written by Collette Sawyer
