The Importance of Quiet Time With God (and 3 Tips)
Last week, I spilled a handful of birdseed on the deck, and I’ve been watching cardinals and house sparrows clean it up for days. The scene is a daily reminder of one of Jesus’ parables, and I’ve been pondering it as I consider the importance of quiet time with God.
Here are Jesus’ words:
“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown” (Matthew 13:3-8, NIV).
I want my heart to be good soil where God’s Word can grow and multiply.
Sadly, I’m often so distracted that the shallow soil of my heart is much like the weathered boards of our deck. Just as the birds carry away my birdseed, God’s Word doesn’t sink in because I’m too distracted. My time with God lacks the focus I crave.
The Importance of Quiet Time With God
Perhaps you can relate. Maybe you want to spend quiet time with God but struggle to stick with it.
Today, we’ll talk about how to spend time with God. First, let’s consider the importance of quiet time with God.
Spending set-apart time with God is important for our spiritual growth for many reasons. Let’s look at a few reasons:
1. We grow closer to God by spending time with him.
More than anything else, God wants a relationship with each of his children. Just as we grow closer to others in our human relationships, we grow closer to God by spending set-apart time with him.
2. God strengthens us during our quiet time with him.
Additionally, when we connect with God in our quiet moments, we grow stronger. God gives us the courage and boldness to face our troubles and lean on him for support.
3. God molds us into the image of Christ through our quiet time.
Just as Jesus often went to quiet places to seek his Father, we are to find pockets of time for connecting with God. As we pour our hearts out to him in prayer, listen for his voice, worship him, and read his Word, he molds us to look more like Jesus.
4. Our quiet time creates space for God to affirm our true identities.
Do you know the one part of your identity that can never be changed or taken away?
You might one day lose every title you have ever carried; however, if you are a follower of Christ, you will never lose the label of being God’s deeply loved child.
Nothing can take God’s love away from you.
More than anything else, when you spend time in quiet places with God, he wants to affirm his love for you.
Let’s now look at three practical ways to make the most of your quiet time with God.
Tips for Your Quiet Time With God
1. Aim to encounter God.
For many of us, a large part of the problem when it comes to our time with God is that we rush through it. It’s one more item on the day’s list of takes to accomplish.
I’ve heard writers say that when they sit down to write, they follow this rule: “Write or do nothing.”
In other words, when they sit down for a designated amount of time for writing, they can do one of two things: write or do nothing at all. They don’t allow themselves to get up to fold laundry, scroll through social media, or check the weather. They have two choices: writing or nothing.
In the same way, set apart a time of day in which you have two options: Interact with God or do nothing.
Don’t scroll through a social media feed. Refrain from working on your grocery list or clipping coupons. Don’t cut your time short. Set an amount of time before you sit down and stay there until the time is up.
You can choose how you will interact with God. You might read your Bible, worship in song, talk to him in prayer, practice silence and stillness, or soak in his love.
This kind of time opens your heart and mind to actually receive impressions from the Lord as you let his love wash over you.
2. Don’t let restlessness deter you.
Most of us have experienced an instance (or more) in which our quiet time felt boring (Read about my journey with this struggle here).
We get bored, and we conclude that God doesn’t have anything to say to us. We close our Bibles and move on to the remaining tasks of our days.
I have learned that when I stay through restlessness, breakthroughs often take place on the other side.
I might read a passage I’ve read a dozen times, and I stare at the words feeling disconnected. However, when I sit with the words and pray for them to come alive in my heart, God reveals himself in new ways.
Sometimes, I notice something I’ve never noticed before, and I spend the rest of my time studying the original language, journaling, or reading commentaries on the text.
Other times, I’m nudged to memorize a verse. I write it down and post it where I’ll see it.
Best of all, I often experience deep and life-changing encounters with Christ when I push through restlessness. He leads me to enter into the text, and I experience a healing touch in my soul. He leads me to authentic praise, worship, and communion with him.
3. Improve your quiet time with God by arriving hungry.
A five-course meal is deeply satisfying to a hungry body. However, when we show up at the table after filling ourselves with junk food, we don’t enjoy our meals. This is how it is with time with God.
Fill yourself up with all that this world offers for comfort, and your appetite will dwindle.
Instead, you will be hungry for God when you resist the urge to fill your days with worldly comforts. Resist the urge to find comfort through excessive online shopping, comfort eating, or overindulging in social media or TV.
Also, make it a point to pray for spiritual hunger. This is a prayer God will answer.
Here’s what it might look like to arrive hungry for God:
Open the pages of your Bible with a hunger to hear what God has to say to you every time you open it.
Worship God with a hungry heart, and he will meet with you.
Pour your heart out in prayer, and the Lord will minister to you.
Come hungry, and you will be fed.
Pour your heart out in prayer, and the Lord will minister to you. Come hungry, and you will be fed. #timewithGod #prayer #seekingGod Share on X~~~
I don’t practice devotional time with God perfectly; however, I’ve learned that this time is not about performance.
I still catch myself making lists for the store and browsing online for new shoes for the kids. However, I am learning to keep coming back to the practices I shared today. Understanding the importance of quiet time with God has changed my life. This time with God is my fuel for the day and food for my soul.
A Free Devotional for Your Quiet Time With God
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God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book for free on the Kindle Unlimited plan or for 12.99 in print right here. This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
Calling all mothers and daughters!
Additionally, my 12-year-old daughter, Bekah, and I wrote a mother-daughter devotional book to help mothers and daughters grow closer together while connecting with God. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith includes 60 devotions with Scripture, commentaries from both of us, conversation starters, and even a shared journaling section. Multitudes of mothers, daughters, mentors, and younger women are being transformed by this book! You can find your free Kindle Unlimited eBook or buy it in print for just 11.99 right here.
