Quiet Time with Jesus
Quiet time. A phrase that is used very often amongst Christians. You may be asking, “What does a quiet time consist of?” Well, that depends. It looks different for everybody.To some people, it may seem a little intimidating because they “don’t know what to do.” The beauty of quiet time with Jesus is that it’s YOURS. It looks like whatever feels right for you. There is no right or wrong, black or white answer.
To put it simply, quiet time is really just us spending quality time with our Creator. Think about it, when you want to be friends with someone and get to know them, what do you do? You spend time with them! You share what’s on your heart and you also take time to listen to them. In the same way, God wants to be OUR friend and the best way to do that is to spend time with him. Take time to learn his heart, hear him, and also share with him what you’re going through and what is on your mind. He is always there to listen!
For me, quiet times consist of at least five minutes of worship, prayer and scripture. These are the things that make me feel closest to the Lord. All three of them play a really big role in our lives and getting to know the Lord more intimately.
Worship: Worship is a really beautiful way to approach the Lord and express reverence. To sit in a posture of worship and remind yourself that you are less and He is more. All throughout scripture, we find that there are different ways to worship the Lord. Physically bowing down on our knees in worship (Ps. 95:6), with gladness in joyful singing (Ps. 100:2), in Spirit and in truth (John 4:23) and so much more! Worship is a time for us to humble ourselves before the Lord and accept what he has to offer us.
Prayer: Prayer is POWERFUL. It is a time where we get to give thanks and praise to our creator, and also humbly present our requests to him. In God’s Word, it clearly states “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8) Don’t be afraid to ask God for what’s on your heart. For when we delight in him, he gives us the desires of our hearts!! (Ps. 37:4) He knows and he loves us and he WANTS to spend time with us. Prayer is such an intimate part of our relationship with the Lord and it’s where we can be completely open and vulnerable with him. He loves to see that side of our hearts! If you don’t know where to start, Matthew 6:5-15 is all about prayer and how we should approach it.
Scripture: This is the word of God!! The Bible holds all truth and everything we need to know! So often I think people approach reading scripture with the perspective of “How can this help me get through ____?” When really we should be approaching it with the mindset of wanting to know God’s heart better. Scripture is one of the best ways we can grow to look more like Jesus.
Whatever your quiet time looks like, I just encourage you to make it purposeful! Really dive in and invest well in those quiet moments with God because oftentimes the world around you is very loud and distracting. Time with God is time well spent! It is never wasted, in fact it is blessed. Some of you may be thinking, “My days are so busy! I don’t know if I can find the time.” I GET IT. Life is crazy and sometimes you don’t even have time to breathe. But we make time for things that are important to us. Whether that means getting up 30 minutes earlier, replacing 15 minutes of scrolling on your phone with prayer and scripture, or even after you turn your lights out and you’re about to go to sleep. Figure out what’s best for you and be consistent in it. I promise you, that time will be rewarded!
Challenges:
Make the time. Be disciplined in carving out at least 15 minutes of your day to spend time with the Lord. Not only is this time that He deserves, but I guarantee you that it also will make your day so much more meaningful and will bring you peace.
Challenge yourself. Sometimes reading scripture can be hard and intimidating, but push yourself to keep reading and ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and understanding of his heart behind his Word. Then find ways to incorporate what you have read/learned into your day-to-day life.
Ask, Seek, Knock. Matthew 7:7-8. The bible says to ask and it will be given to you. Be intentional with asking, but make sure you’re still seeking Christ and knocking on the door in obedience to what he is calling you to.
Prayer:
Lord, we thank you for all that you are! Thank you for being patient with us when we let the busyness of our lives take over. Thank you for always welcoming us with open arms. We ask for discipline to be consistent in spending time with you everyday. May we take the time to slow down and just sit in your presence. I ask that the peace that comes from you will infiltrate our lives and those around us. Thank you for your Word and that we are able to freely read from it and learn from you. Give us wisdom and understanding of your heart so that we may look more like you every day! May we learn to ask, seek and knock confidently and may the desires of our hearts line up with yours. I pray for true joy and peace for every single person reading this. We give you all the honor and glory! We pray these things in Jesus’ name! Amen!