Quiet Time:

My Most Important Relationship

I love my wife. I love my kids. I love my parents and all my other relatives. But . . .

I love God most. He is my most important relationship.

WHAT:

The purpose of my quiet time is to get to know God better. Me and God hanging out. Occasionally, I invite some one to join us. Usually, I am trying to teach them how to have a quiet time. But most of the time, its just me and God. Hanging out. Relating.

WHEN:

Some people like to have their quiet time first thing in the morning. Before anything else. “No Bible, no breakfast,” as the saying goes. They don't eat breakfast until AFTER they read the Bible. Their mind is fresh. They want to hear from God first thing.

Other people prefer to meet God later. Just before bed is good for them. They feel more relaxed. Less distracted by the day ahead. Their saying, “His Word, last Word.” They want their last thoughts of the day to be about God.

Some people have their quiet time during their lunch hour. Or right after work. Or right after the kids leave for school. I have even read about people getting up in the middle of the night, midnight or 2 am to have their quiet time with God.

I prefer first thing in the morning. Before anything else. That way if I have to skip for some reason, I can still get some time with God later in the day. If I plan on doing it at night and miss, there is no time to re-schedule. I miss out.

I need to invest time with God every day. Thats more important to me than when I do it. I do miss days. I might be too sick. I might be too distracted. So I miss days. But I know people who have not missed a quiet time. Not a day for years.

WHERE:

I find it helpful to meet God in the same place every day. For me, thats at my desk in my basement office. For some people its the kitchen table, or the dining room table. Some people kneel beside their bed or next to the couch. Some people choose to sit in their favorite chair.

The main criteria is that it needs to be some place quiet where you will not be distracted or disturbed. Some people can do that in a Starbucks or a park. I'm not very good at that.

Try some different places and see what works for you.

When I travel, I like to pick my place the night before. I put my Bible there so its ready for me first thing in the morning.

HOW:

SEVEN MINUTES WITH GOD

The shortest one was a pamphlet called “Seven Minutes with God.” The pamphlet is written by Robert Foster and published by Navpress. Thats a little short for me. But seven minutes is better than no minutes. If you are just getting started, seven minutes might be a challenge.

Foster's seven minutes looked like this. Prayer for guidance – 0.5 minutes Read the Bible – 4 minutes Pray through the ACTS acronym – 2.5 minutes

THE QUIET TIME SANDWICH

PRAYER

WORD WORD WORD WORD WORD

PRAYER

He taught me the ABC method for my time reading the Word.

A – Ask – Asking God to me with me.

B – Best verse – pick out my favorite verse from my reading.

C – Challenge – what is God asking me to do today? What is my application.

I still use this method. I like about 30 minutes with God each morning. But I will settle for 15 or 20. Less than 15 usually leaves me wanting.

Let's try it. Today is the 1st, so I will use Mark 1 for my quiet time.

A – “God, please meet with me in Mark 1 today. Showing me something about Yourself today. Show me something about what You want me to do today.”

B – Mark 1:35 “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up left the house and went off to a solitary place , where he prayed.” (NIV)

C – I think God wants me to invest some extra time praying today after I read the Bible. I will pray for 15 extra minutes about some difficulties I am having with my family and at work.

OTHER ACTIVITIES:

I have tried different things during my quiet time. At one time or another, I have done these for my quiet time:

* worked on my Bible study

* worked on scripture memory

* walked and prayed

* walked and praised God

* worked on my Bible reading plan

* on occasion, I have even used a devotional book. (I found this particularly unsatisfying).

Some people use a journal to track what God is teaching them. I don't. Many of my friends find it helpful. Try it. You might like it.

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