Psalm 1:2 “his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Why read your Bible and have Quiet time? Because the Bible says so?
Because the church says so?
For a good luck charm?
To soften your concerns? Out of fear?
A bargaining tool?
I’ve used all of these excuses before, but they never stuck. It wasn’t until I knew how special I was to God as His child and how precious fellowship with Him is, that I yearned for more time with Him. Having a quiet time with this attitude of precious fellowship will always give a want for more. This time really changes our attitude and outlook on life and others. True quiet time includes listening to what God is telling us even when we don’t want to hear.

I enjoy praying and worshiping in the car before work, it helps my disposition throughout the day. But quiet time is not a good luck charm. It’s not a wish machine.
It’s a constant growing experience.

Sometimes starting with one verse and a simple prayer, “Please help me God”, or “Lord let me see you today”, is all that’s needed.

What works best for you? Same time, everyday? Whenever you can catch a minute? Mine used to be a minute in the waiting room, on the toilet, before my eyes closed for the night, while the kids napped. The minutes in-between. The one thing I’ve learned is that quiet time doesn’t have to be all at once and it doesn’t have to be an hour long. God made us, knows us better than we do ourself. In fact, sometimes I would have my quiet time with the kids. It teaches them, as well as keeps us connected to our heavenly father.

Some have a specific place for their quiet time. Your quiet time place is influenced on your situation and the life era you are experiencing. Some have a prayer closet, chair, or even a garden or stream. The thing is, God doesn’t care. He just wants to have fellowship with us. Don’t let yourself be envious, jealous, intimidated, or guilty about others and don’t compare yourself. I say this because I have done this and can still do this if I’m not careful. This is a sacred time, moment between you and your Heavenly Father. And don’t let someone else tell you you’re doing it wrong. If you’re communicating with God, our Holy Father, you are not doing it wrong! Even if you do fall asleep.

On your knees, eyes open or closed, walking, doing dishes, in the shower, sitting, standing, running, cooking, working out, or cleaning house. If any of you iron any more, that used to be a time I would spend in deep conversation with God. Yes in this busy world, we do need to stop and spend alone time with God, but if your life is crazy, and you are waiting for that quiet time, it will never come. Being purposeful in finding bits of time with God will bless and encourage. And God performs miracles; He’ll give you the time you need, always!

Apps, praying Gods word, bible studies, reading the bible from start to finish, journals with scripture, are just some helpful tools.

Sometimes I would sit down and open the bible wherever it opens and read. This might not be the best option, but the Word never failed to speak to me. Reading the whole bible from Genesis to Revelation is a great experience. This can be finished over a couple of years, or finished in a few months. Special bible study books are available, journals with scriptures, and apps like Youversion gives all types of reading styles and plans at your fingertips. My favorate and most used is writing my prayers in my journals. It’s a direct approach and so much fun and inspiring to read how God has answered my prayers. I also love the journals with a verse on each page. I will write my prayers and concerns or needs for the day, reading the scripture last. It always seems that the scripture either answers my questions, or gives me the encouragement I need.

Keeping each other accountable can be a fun way to help encourage each other to go to our Heavenly Father in prayer! What are your favorite ways to pray? What tools do you use? Join me as a friend in the youversion app, and we can share bible studies.