The Quiet Time Series
Part 4
Making The QT Work
Christian biography abounds with the fact that those who have moved the world for God have been people of sustained devotional habits. Yet those of us more ordinary saints often find it difficult to maintain our QT. There are so many obstacles to overcome. We have to be determined to stick it out.
In the last Post we talked about why the QT is important and that we need to be determined to have our QT daily. Let me lend a word of caution here. Most people don’t achieve the goal of 7 days a week. It’s wonderful if you can attain that but most people don’t. Yet, as I pointed out last time, it takes at least 4 times a week in order for there to be transformational change in our lives. Consistency is so important.
My goal in this series is to give you some practical tools that will make your QT enjoyable, productive, and life changing. Let’s look at two important factors.
THE LENGTH OF YOUR QUIET TIME
People often ask, "how long should my Quiet Time be?" The fact is that there are no hard and fast rules here. At first even the thought of just a few minutes might be daunting as you ask yourself what you’ll do to fill the time (more about that in future QT Posts). However, as you learn to have an effective QT and experience God’s presence and reap the benefits of your QT, you’ll be looking for ways to lengthen your time alone with God.
The fact is, if you start out thinking you need to spend an hour or even half an hour in your QT you may get discouraged very early and if you get discouraged before you really get started you may be tempted to give up all together. I don’t want that to happen to you so here are a couple so suggestions.
7 Minutes With God
Years ago I came across a tract called "7 Minutes with God". No one ever showed me how to have a QT so I found this tract extremely helpful as I began my own devotional life. Here’s how it can work
½ Min – To Quiet Your Heart and Ask God’s Direction
Take the first 30 seconds to ask God for direction.
Ask Him to meet with you and open His Word to you.
3 Min – Reading & Meditating On A Brief Passage Of Scripture
Read a few verses or a chapter from your Bible. You can start with the Gospel of John and read through the book chapter by chapter. At the church where I Pastor, we're encouraging people to read through three essential New Testament books three times through the year.
Click here to obtain a PDF of "The Essential New Testament Reading.
* In a future "Post" I’ll be talking about what to look for as you read. For now, look for what it teaches you about God and how it should apply to your life.
3 Min – Praying
Next, spend 3 minutes just talking to God like you would a trusted friend. Start out by Praising Him for who He is and just worship Him. Then share the concerns of your heart for yourself and others and ask God for wisdom to handle all that comes your way today.
½ Min – Committing The Day To God
Finish your time with God committing your day to His glory. Ask Him to help you honour Him in all you do.
After awhile you may adapt this for your own particular personality and style. This is intended as a guide to get you started not a straight jacket to constrain you. The important thing is that you connect with God through His Word and prayer.
Start with 7 minutes and commit yourself to that. As time goes on you’ll want to lengthen that. Below you’ll find an expanded version.
15 Minutes With God
1 Min – To Quiet Your Heart and Ask God’s Direction
10 Min – Bible Study - take notes
3 ½ Min – Praying
½ Min – Committing The Day To God
As you learn to connect with God you’ll want to think not about how much time you have to spend with God but about what is the maximum time you can carve out of your day to spend with Him. It’s like going to the Gym. You start out slow and build up.
AIM FOR QUALITY RATHER THAN QUANTITY
Make connecting with God your goal. Your goal is not to complete a QT, it is to meet with God and to worship Him. If you miss a QT, don’t get bogged down in guilt. That accomplishes nothing and is the Devils tool. If you miss tomorrow, then pick it up the next day. Spend as much time with Him as you can.
THE PLACE OF YOUR QT
Don’t underestimate the importance of where you have your Quiet Time. You want to be alone with God with as few distractions as possible. Most of the time I can’t have my QT at my work desk because there are too many reminders of the work I have to get done that day. Your QT spot will become a special place in your life where you will meet with God and He will make you more like Jesus. My wife tells me of her memory of her Dad. Every morning he would get up early to put the fire on and then sit in the rocking chair to read his Bible and then kneel and pray. As a little she would come downstairs every morning and see her Dad kneeling in front of the rocking chair. It was his special place to meet with Jesus.
It Should Be A Place Of Seclusion
And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark,
he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
(Mark 1:35)
It seems it was the pattern of Jesus to get alone to pray and I’ve found it important in my own life to be alone with God. The consciousness of the presence of others will distract your concentration. If you live in a busy house or dorm its not always easy to get alone. Sometimes getting up early helps to overcome this problem.
Sometimes you might have to be very creative in order to find that secluded spot. I love to get into the woods or down by the lake but that not always possible. It might be that you get up early before others, get yourself a cup of coffee, grab your Bible and note book and head for the big chair. You might close the door to your home office or go to the laundry room. I’ve heard of some people who have built themselves a little prayer closet in the basement.
But you, when you pray, go into your room,
and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father
who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret
will reward you openly. (Matt 6:6)
It might seem impossible to find such a place but at least try to be alone in spirit like Susanna Wesley who would just throw her apron over her head.
It Should Be A Place Of Quietness
There are two kinds of noises that we should avoid. Avoid "speech". Don’t have the morning news playing in the background. Other voices seem to have a way of drawing our attention. You want to avoid this because your goal is to focus on the voice of god. The other noise to avoid is "music". That tune will get stuck in your head and not allow you to focus. Now there is a place for listening to Christian music to help you worship God but for now lets leave that behind. As much as possible you want to avoid all sounds that will distract you.
You want to focus these few moments on God so you want to avoid all distractions, especially distractions of the eyes that might pull you away. I guess that’s why some people have developed their own prayer closets.
I think the idea is that you want to plan for concentration. Be comfortable but don’t get too comfortable especially if its early in the morning and you might tend to fall asleep. I just bought a big reclining chair which I won’t use in the mornings for this very reason. It is just too comfortable. If you do fall asleep get up and change your position. I love to pray on my knees but for some people that would put them in danger of falling asleep on their knees. I like to get up and walk around the room as I pray. Find what works for you.
BE DETERMINED
The world makes not time for the Quiet Time so you must determine in your heart to cultivate your relationship with Christ. The pressures of life will seek to crowd out the QT so you must be prepared. The Devil will resist you. You must resist him. You must fight back because spending time alone with God is the most important thing you will do in any given day. Here is a bit of a summary.
1. Determine That You Will Have A Daily Quiet Time
2. Choose A Set Time Each Day
3. Select A Practical Place
Nothing is more important in your day then your time with God. Remember, God wants your friendship. Time alone with Him each day is not only good for you, it is precious to God.
Nothing Is More Important In Your Day Then Your Time With God.
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