No matter how busy you are, you make time for your priorities. If you are too busy to spend time with God, you are busier than He intended you to be.
What is a Quiet Time? It is time when you get alone with God for the purpose of fellowship and worship.
Following a busy day and before another day began, Jesus had a Quiet Time. Late hours did not keep Jesus from His appointed meeting with His Father early in the morning. He knew that if he was to meet men he must first meet God.
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. (Mark 1:35)
As brief as it is, this picture of Jesus at prayer is very instructive. As much as Jesus needed a Quiet Time, we need it more. Every person has some measure of power. The fundamental issue is not how we can obtain more, but how we use what we have. Whether we pray about the things that are within our power to do reveals a great deal about us.
In this sense we might even speak of prayer as a barometer of faith. In prayer we submit our will to God’s. If we do not pray, it is quite possible that we are operating on our own agenda and have refused our proper role as stewards.
We need fellowship with God. We were created to have fellowship with God. If you want to find out what a man is really like, find out what he is like alone with God”
What does it take to have a Quiet Time?
1. Set aside a particular time to spend alone with God.
It must be predetermined. If you don’t set aside a time you won’t have the time. Jesus predetermined the time. Jesus did so before the day began. Quiet Time must be planned. Notice that Jesus planed to spend a good amount of time – “a great while before day.” However, much time you plan, it needs to be unhurried.
2. Set aside a particular place to get alone with God.
It needs to be somewhere that you can be quiet and uninterrupted. Notice Jesus went to a “solitary place”. This is important if you are to unclutter your mind so you can meet with God. You need a place where you can “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10)
3. Take God’s Word with you to your time alone with God.
God’s Word (the Bible) is the primary tool that God uses to speak to us. Open it and read it. Having a reading plan will help you methodically go through the Bible and listen to Him.
4. Spend time in prayer, talking heart to heart with God.
Pray with purpose and direction. Many use an outline while praying. One example is A.C.T.S. – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. I like the acronym P.R.A.Y. – Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield.
Now, sit quietly and listen to the voice of God. We must be still so we can hear his voice. He will comfort you during this time. He will direct you to scripture during this time. He will direct your spirit during this time.
A missionary in Africa mentions a phenomenon that occurred as Christianity began to spread among some natives. In the early part of the day, as the men went to work, they would wander through the tall grass and find a quiet place to spend time with God. Soon the worn down grass became a dirt path that marked each one’s journey to have a Quiet Time. Soon, one’s prayer life was made public. If someone began to neglect his or her devotional life, it would soon be noticed by others. Believers would then gently and lovingly remind those in neglect, ‘The grass grows on your path.”
What helps you have an meaningful daily Quiet Time?