The Importance of a Daily Quiet Time with God

As a Christian, I need my daily quiet time with God like I need water and food to eat. I once heard the analogy of only eating a feast on Sunday afternoon and pizza on Wednesday nights as attending church services Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. That wouldn't satisfy our physical hunger and doesn't satisfy our spiritual hunger. We need our own personal quiet time with God each day. I know when I miss my time with God, I am not the Christian woman, wife, mom, homemaker, homeschooler, and person I want to be. I am quicker to lose my temper, think ungodly thoughts, and have actions that don't line up with how a Christian ought to act. Can I get an amen?

That being said, there are a few myths about quiet time that I would like to dispel.

#1 - In order for a quiet time to be effective, you must do it in the morning.
While there are many times in Scripture that we see people having prayer time in the morning, even Jesus Christ Himself (Mark 1:35), there is no Scriptural mandate that quiet time with God must be in the morning. The most effective quiet time is the time that works for you. Over the years my quiet time has been at different times in my day. I have been disciplined for a short season to get up at 6ish to have my quiet time before my husband and kids were awake and the chaos of the day ensued. I have also had times when I did afternoon nap/room time as my quiet time. I have also had times when I did my quiet time before bed. I am currently in a season with a newborn where I am having my quiet time whenever I can get it. LOL! The key is to find a time that works best for you and remember that meeting with God is the important part, not when you meet.

#2 - In order for a quiet time to be effective, it must be quiet.
While it is great to sit in complete silence, I will be honest and say that my mind wanders more in silence. LOL! I personally like to put on some classical hymns on my Pandora station. There are no words, but instrumental hymns that just relax me, tune me into the Holy Spirit, and allow for me to still hear from God as I pray and read the Word. The key is to be in a position to hear from God (this is more about your heart than your ears anyways).

#3 - In order for a quiet time to be effective, you must have a specific spot.
While it is nice to have a special place to go meet with God, you can meet with God anywhere, anytime. Over the years, my spot has changed. Some days it changes from the day before. LOL! I have used a glider as my quiet time spot. I have used my desk in my office as my quiet time spot. I have used my bed as my quiet time spot. Today I used the school table as my quiet time spot. Find a spot that works for you and remember that meeting with God is the important part, not where you meet.

#4 - In order for a quiet time to be effective, you must spend a certain amount of time.
There are many amazing believers that have shared that they have quiet times for 1-2 hours each day. God bless those folks! I would love to be able to do that, but there are certain seasons when you can and cannot do certain things. I am currently in a season where I can only get 15-30 minutes at best at one time. But that time is just as meaningful in my life as hours to someone else. I have time to read a devotional, read a few verses, and pray. While I wish I could read and study Scripture and pray for hours, I must remember that it is the quality of the time more than the quantity of the time.

#5 - In order for a quiet time to be effective, you must do it a certain way.
There are so many amazing resources available to us today (books, devotionals, online sermons, worship music) to use in our quiet time, but there is not set way to have a quiet time. I would say that each day you should read some Scripture and pray, but you don't have to read an entire book or even chapter of Scripture. God may use one verse to speak to you in your quiet time. Write it down, stick it in your pocket, meditate on it throughout the day. That can be more effective than trying to read a huge portion of Scripture. Spend some time in prayer. Pour your heart out to God. Ask Him to be with you through the day. Remember that the Word says to "pray without ceasing." You can and should pray all throughout the day as something comes up. Quiet time gets us close to God so that we are close to Him throughout the day.

I hope these tips have helped. I will be posting some of my favorite quiet time resources later on. :)