How Is Your "Quiet Time" Best Spent?

Sunday, 30 August 2009

How Is Your "Quiet Time" Best Spent?
This post idea randomly came to me...

I am curious to see how different people spend their time with the Lord.

The Bible says to "pray without ceasing" (I think Paul says that in the Epistles; I am not good at location, but that doesn't matter...what matters is that/if it is there). However, Christians believe that being a Christian is not a religion but a relationship...therefore, in a friendship or relationship, the more time you spend with the other person, the more you become like them. Therefore, Quiet Times are necessary in order for personal reflection/change made possible through the power of the Holy Spirit & for personally thanking/worshipping God as well, & also for learning more about Him & hearing His voice.

But I believe that since everyone is different, our relationship with God is different, therefore we do different things in our Quiet Times with God.

In my Quiet Time, I usually pray first. The Bible says somewhere in Psalms "enter His gates with praise & thanksgiving," so I usually do that. I thank Him for everything He has given me (food, job, clothes, family/friends, etc). Then, I thank Him for my salvation & I sometimes sing a song of thanks to Him or a song that describes my current situation. Last, I pray for others or things going on in life or prayer requests. Then, I read my Bible (or vice versa...order switched).

But since Christianity is not a religion; therefore, if we "get stuck in a ritual" (everyday, same old-same old routine), then it becomes a religion. So we should change things here & there.

Every now & then, I do different things in my Quiet Time. Lately, I have just been resting in the Spirit of God & listening for His voice. Or I have been spacing my Quiet Times out throughout the day (an hour here, an hour there, etc), so that I can get pieces of QT throughout the day.

Sometimes God tells me things like "Come to Me," "I love you," or "Just rest in Me." Other times, He gives me verses to look up, & the verse applies to what I have prayed about. Sometimes though God says nothing...but I can still feel Him there...so I sit in His presence with joy. Other times I can't feel Him there & He says nothing, but I push through because I believe this is some sort of spiritual warfare.

God says in the Bible, "If My people who are called by My name will turn & seek Me then I will heal their land." (don't know where that verse is either; maybe Isaiah?) In that case, if we do not have our Quiet Times, we may find ourselves more impatient/frustrated/etc, or we may find that we cannot find the answer to a problem. We need to get the Word of God in us too; Jesus said, "Man does not live on bread alone but on every word from the mouth of God." The Bible also says in 1 or 2 Corinthians (I think) something like, "The Word is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting" & it says that "The word is sharper than a double-edged sword." So if you're not having Quiet Time with God, you may render ineffective to His work in & through you.

So that leaves me with the question area....

What do you do during YOUR Quiet Time? Do you believe it is effective & helpful? What kind of things does God speak to you in your Quiet Time?

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Comments (5)

Actually, I have found it far more beneficial to be in communion with him throughout the day, rather than in small, prefabricated chunks. When I live within his presence, every activity takes on significance as an act of worship. Paul urged us to do all to the glory of God, and that is what I seek to do.

When I was tied to the mentality of having to fit God into *my* schedule, unsurprisingly, I found it rather difficult to meet with him, and often ended up guilty and frustrated because God "was distant." As I have come to realize that I was the one far away and by the presence of his Spirit God is always near, I have been freed to come before Him not out of guilt or obligation, but because I desire and depend upon him to get through the day. Slowly but surely, I want, "Pray without ceasing," to be true in my life as every moment, conscious and unconscious, are lived as a living sacrifice to the Only One in response to his mercy.

If you were married, you wouldn't live your whole life out in the presence of other men/women and then schedule out a bit of "Spouse Time." If you wanted your relationship to flourish and lead to lasting joy, you would desire to be in the presence of your lover at every moment possible. Knowing God is no different. We should aim to spend every waking moment in loving him, with word, deed and thought.

"Impossible!" you say, and yet that is the life that Christ lived for us to follow and the life he wants for us. Obviously, I have not reached the highest aim, but that doesn't keep me from persevering and pressing on toward the goal, the ultimate prize.

I heartily recommend Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. His writings demonstrate the joy of living free before God in every moment, transforming even the scouring of dishes into profound worship.
- 8/31/2009 1:45 AM
- barefoot_nomad@xanga (message)
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I just loved the moment in time when I outside and I live in an area where there is no lights and I can see the stars and hear the birds and animals and frogs,etc. I just enjoy this. And I say this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.
- 8/31/2009 9:44 AM
- tau_1@xanga (message)
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I'm not an overly religious person, so my quiet time is usually just a chance to relax and unwind. I'll either watch a little TV, read a book or magazine, or listen to some music. But I do also reflect upon the things that He has given us and I am thankful.
- 8/31/2009 9:58 AM
- tumbling_dice@xanga (message)
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I am more like @barefoot_nomad@xanga in that I've found trying to fit God into MY schedule often leaves me frustrated and feeling more distant to Him. I try to commune with God throughout my day, sometimes having to stop what it is I'm doing because things are too stressful or so abundantly joyful that I must talk to Him.
Other times when I actually have downtime, I will reflect on sermons I heard at church, various conversations I've had with my friends, or random news clips I catch that make me ponder about things, especially in how they relate to me & my relationship with God.
I believe God speaks to all of us in various ways much like what you said. Sometimes a single scripture will come to mind, other times it will be a story from the Bible or from an email. Sometimes God speaks to me through others, but no matter how much I commune with Him or hear Him, I feel like it is always beneficial even if I don't see/feel the effects of it until later.
- 8/31/2009 10:41 AM
- sapph1retw1n@xanga (message)
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I've had to try to talk to God throughout the day and I read the Bible at least twice a day, upon getting up and going to bed, but I really like it if I can get that special "quiet time" in a day, too. I can't go forever without it.
I start out by praying for, eh, usually 10-30 minutes, rarely a bit more, sometimes less. I then like to read the Bible for about half an hour or so, sometimes more, sometimes less. Then, sometimes I pray again. Sometimes I do something creative, like write a poem prayer to God or draw a picture to help me process something I feel I'm learning about in a deeper way. I often may read a spiritual book for a while, too, stopping to pray at times. (If all I do is read a spiritual book I don't count that as "quiet time" usually, but I do sometimes incorporate a book into the tail end of my quiet time.) Occasionally I get into a deeper sort of praying, pretty much like meditation. Sometimes I take a walk outside and talk silently to God and listen to Him speaking to me through nature. I may prayer journal if I feel that's the best way to record what I've learned or if I feel like I need to express myself to God through writing.

I never do ALL of these things in a given quiet time unless I'm having an all-day "spiritual retreat," which is something I do about twice a year. I use those times to refocus and realign to make sure I'm on track with what God wants from me. Then it's like a marathon of fun spiritual stuff.
Besides praying first and always having my morning and evening devotions, which I am fiercely committed to (haven't skipped a day in over seven years), I've never been able to develop a specific routine for my quiet times. Too many manmade rules always kill it for me. Some people like the structure, probably, but I wasn't created for that. I let it flow like one of my friend relationships: just going with the flow while making sure important activities don't get neglected.
What does God tell me? I think He tells me all sorts of things through my time with Him. It's hard to tell; hard sometimes to separate my thoughts, so I must always be careful. Sometimes I feel that He wants me to apply something, some verse, perhaps, more specifically to my life than I would have otherwise. Sometimes the message is along the lines of, "Relax. Don't worry about X." Sometimes it is correctional, bringing something I wasn't aware of up to the surface, like, "You have been sinning with this action, habit or attitude and it's hurting you and/or others and Me." Sometimes it is comforting when I am distraught.
I believe this "centering" or time of peace is helpful. It is not only restful but I usually feel better afterwards, sometimes with a clearer perception of where I have been messing up and hurting other people and how to stop, sometimes with a reassurance that I am loved and valued, sometimes with a sense of peace over a decision. Often all of those are involved. I think having this time with God allows me to work through problems sooner than I would be able to on my own. I think it helps me be more at peace with myself and others. Very importantly, it's a time to focus intensely on God. Having had that, I have noticed, helps me have a clearer focus on everything else during the rest of the day or longer.
- 8/31/2009 5:35 PM
- DistantStarlight@xanga (message)
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