Think about how often you find yourself spending time with God alone. I want you to be honest with yourself. It may be hard to realize, but maybe you are not digging into God’s Word as much as you should. What is it that’s stopping you? Pause for a second and really think about what it is that is keeping you from having quiet time often. I would love to tell you that I am in God’s Word everyday. But I am not. Sometimes I just do not make the time for it. I hate admitting that, but it is true. For some time I brought my Bible to work with me in order to spend time with God. I knew I would be too tired before work and after work to really focus. I was tired of the excuses I had been making and came to this solution. But it did not last long. Work picked up on our patient load and I began just wanting to spend my lunch just taking a breather from everything.
Another excuse I find myself using is how much I am in the Word with others weekly. Maybe this is something you do as well. I am a part of a campus ministry at my college. I lead a freshman Bible study within the ministry, which has me in the Word quite often. I spend Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday in the Word because of Cru. But the thing is, all that time in the Word is also spent with others. None of it is true alone time with God. It is important to realize that shared time with God, like Bible studies and church, are different from quiet time by yourself. You may be asking how, so let me answer that. Quiet time is a way for us to grow in our relationship with God. Digging into the Word is how God speaks to us. The Bible is where you will find answers and wisdom from God. Doing so in the quiet, alone allows spiritual refreshment and knowledge that is needed in our walk with God. It really allows you to focus in on what God is showing you and meditate on.
Now you may be asking how you can have quiet time the right way. This question is something that kept me from reading the Bible before. The answer is that there is no single right way to have quiet time. You may be wondering if you only have quiet time for 15 minutes is that wrong? No. If you have it for an hour is that wrong? No. Well how about if you read one verse instead of a whole chapter? That is okay. There is not a right or wrong way to do it. So, I am going to lay out my typical quiet time below, but if yours is not like this, do not worry over it. Yours most likely will look different.
If it is warm I like to spend this time outside, but if it is cold I will have it in a room where I can open the blinds and allow natural light in. I am currently studying the book of Proverbs, but for those of you wondering where to even begin, start in the book of John. I have a journaling bible and colored pencils that I use every time. If you struggle digging in the Word and enjoy creativity, look into a journaling Bible. I start in prayer, asking God to speak to me through His Word and open my eyes and heart to what He is showing me. Then I spend time digging into a verse. Notice I said “a” verse. I am someone who gets more out of diving head first into one singular verse instead of a hand full. While studying the verse, I use google and a site called Bible Study Tools to help me understand what the verse is saying. I take notes in the margins of my Bible and then pray over what God taught me. To end it, I turn on worship music or lofi hip hop music and draw in my Bible. I use this time to really soak in the verse and meditate on it before continuing in my day.
I do want y’all to be careful, however, about googling to find answers. Please dig into the site you found before using it. Make sure it aligns with your beliefs so that you are not being fed false teachings.
The main thing I want you to take away from this is to not worry about whether you are having quiet time the right way, but start looking into how often you are having it instead.
kokonaomi
