What is a Quiet Time? Pt 2

I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.

John 10:14

A quiet time is an intimate, face-to-face, heart-to-heart connection with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. It's the time when you actually build your relationship with Jesus. Specifically, it is a time for you to get up every day and read the Bible and pray and get closer to Him.

A lot of people think, "I prayed a prayer, but I don't feel closer to God," or "I felt really close to God when I was at BattleCry [or some other retreat or camp], but now I don't feel very close to Him." You're not going to feel close to anybody if you're not spending time with them!

If you were married and didn't spend time with your spouse, the two of you would not grow any closer. Actually, you would move farther and farther apart.

A quiet time is an expression of your commitment to be a true follower of Christ. It's as if you're saying, "Lord, I'm going to make sure that I don't accidentally get farther and farther away from You. In fact, I'm going to use this time to get closer and closer to You. I'm going to use it as a time to get fed by You and to get filled up with You and to understand more of You." Before you do anything else, start your day with God. Talk to Him, seek Him in His Word and pray through your day. Make it your top priority.

Maybe you've never had a quiet time with God before. Start thinking about what kind of quiet time you want to have and where you want to have it. Think about what time you need to get up in order to have enough time to read your Bible and pray before you start your day with the world.

Take some time right now to decide where and when you will have your quiet time every day. Once you have decided this make a plan for your quiet time. Make sure you bring the appropriate items for your time with the Lord (bible, notebook for journaling what the Lord is doing in your life, and a pen). Remember you don't always have to do the same thing in every quiet time. Some days you may feel led to read your bible for the whole time and other days you may want to write a poem or song for the Lord. There is not a cookie cutter definition for what a quiet time must be. The Lord enjoys time with you.

This article was adapted from Ron Luce's latest book Connecting With God.

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