A daily quiet time is a private meeting each day between a disciple and the Lord Jesus Christ. It should not be impromptu (spontaneous, unplanned). We can meet with Jesus on a spur-of-the-moment basis many times each day, but a quiet time is a period of time we set aside in advance for the purpose of a personal meeting with our Savior and Lord.
A daily quiet time consists of at least three components:
Reading the Bible not just to study or gain knowledge, but to meet the person of Jesus through the written Word.
- Meditating on what we have read so that biblical truth begins to saturate our minds, emotions, and wills. “Meditate on [the Book of the Law] day and night” (Joshua 1:8).
- Praying to (communing with) God: praising, thanking, and adoring him as well as confessing our sins, asking him to supply our needs, and interceding for others.
Why is it important?
Why should we have a daily quiet time? There are at least three reasons.
It pleases the Lord. Of all the Old Testament sacrifices there was only one that was daily—the continual burnt offering. What was its purpose? Not to atone for sin but to provide pleasure (a sweet-smelling aroma) to the Lord. The New Testament tells us to continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, “the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (Hebrews 13:15). It may surprise us to realize that God is seeking people who will do just that: “They are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (John 4:23). One thing that shows the depth of our relationship with Jesus is if we are willing to spend time alone with him… not just for what we get out of it, but for what it means to him as well.
We receive benefits. The psalmist had this in mind when he wrote, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Psalm 42:1-2). We benefit from a quiet time in several ways:
Information. We learn about Jesus and his truths when we spend time with him and his Word. Before we can obey him we need to know what he commands. Before we can understand what life is all about we need to know what he has taught.
Encouragement. At times we get discouraged. There is no better source for inspiration than the Lord Jesus Christ.
Power. Even when we know what we should be and do we lack the strength to be that kind of person and do those kinds of works. Jesus is the source of power, and meeting with him is essential to our receiving it.
Pleasure. Being alone with the person we love is enjoyable, and as we spend time with Jesus we experience a joy that we can’t find anywhere else.
Jesus had a quiet time. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35). If Jesus thought it was important to meet privately with God the Father, then his example gives us a good reason to do the same.
The question is whether we will be mediocre Christians or growing Christians. A major factor in determining the answer is whether or not we develop the discipline of a daily quiet time.
How to Begin
Once you desire to begin a daily quiet time, what can you do to start?
First, remember the principle of self-discipline: do what you should do when you should, the way you should, where you should and for the correct reasons. In other words, self-discipline is the wise use of your personal resources (such as time and energy).
Second, set aside time in advance for your quiet time. A daily quiet time should take place each day at the time when you are most alert. For some this will be in the morning, perhaps before breakfast; for others it will be another time of the day or evening. Though it is not a hard and fast rule, the morning is a good time since it begins before the rush of thoughts and activities of the day. An orchestra does not tune its instruments after the concert.
How much time should you spend? This will be different or each person, but a good plan to follow is to start with ten minutes a day and build up to about thirty minutes. This regularly scheduled chunk of time can be a major factor in strengthening self-discipline. Here’s a suggestion: pause while reading this and make a decision—now—about when and for how long, beginning tomorrow, you will meet the Lord Jesus Christ for a daily quiet time.
Third, plan ahead. Go to bed early enough so that you can awaken in a refreshed condition to meet Jesus. The battle for the daily quiet time is often lost the night before. Staying up too late makes us less alert, more tired, and numb as we meet the Lord, or else we oversleep and skip the quiet time altogether.
Fourth, make your quiet time truly a quiet time. Psalm 46:10 speaks to this: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Turn off your radio, cell phone, or television. Find as quiet a place as possible and make sure your location and position help you stay alert. Get out of bed. Sit straight up. If you are stretched out in bed or laying in a hammock that is too comfortable you might be tempted to sleep!
If your house is noisy in the mornings, try to have your quiet time at night when your family has already gone to sleep. You can also meet with Jesus outside of your house – near the sea, on the side of the mountain, or even under a mango tree! If all else fails (like your neighbor decided to do videoke that morning), ask the Holy Spirit for supernatural help to focus and meet with Jesus.
Fifth, pray as you start your time with God. Ask the Holy Spirit to control your investment of time and to guide your praising, confessing, thanking, adoring, interceding, petitioning and meditating, as well as to help you get into the Bible. Open your mind and heart to Scripture.
Sixth, keep a notebook handy. Write down ideas you want to remember and questions you can’t answer. Expression deepens impression—and writing is a good mode of expression.
Last, share your plans and goals with a friend. Explain that you are trying to develop the discipline of a daily quiet time, and ask for prayer that God will help you to succeed with your goals.
When Problems Arise
Following are some common problems that are often encountered along the way.
I know I should have a daily quiet time, but I don’t want to.
Solution: Ask the Holy Spirit to plant within you the desire to have a daily quiet time. Nobody else can do this for you. You cannot make the desire, and no other person can produce it for you.
I don’t feel like having a daily quiet time today.
Solution: Have your quiet time anyway and honestly admit to Jesus that you don’t feel like meeting him but that you know he is worth the investment of your time. Ask him to improve your feelings and try to figure out why you feel this way. Then work on the things that make those feelings. Don’t forget – the Bible never tells us to follow our feelings.
My mind wanders.
Solution: Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the strength to set your mind on Jesus and his Word. Use your self-discipline to direct your mind so that it wanders less and less. If you are in a quiet place, singing, praying, and reading out loud will give a sense of conversation with God. Your mind will wander less when you write things down, like making an outline for prayer or study notes while reading the Bible.
I miss too many quiet times.
Solution: Ask the Lord to strengthen your desire and to give you power to discipline your use of time. Share with your youth group your desire to have a daily quiet time and allow them to hold you accountable. Don’t let an overactive conscience or the accusations of the devil play on your guilt. Confess that you have failed to keep your appointment with Jesus, ask his forgiveness, and renew your relationship.
My daily quiet time is boring.
Solution: Pray that the joy of the Lord would be restored to your private meeting with Jesus (Psalm 51:12). Put some variety into your approach. Sing a hymn for a change, or try a different form of Bible study. Try reading a different version of the Bible if the one you have is hard to understand.
There are two major reasons it is so difficult to develop the discipline of a daily quiet time. First is the influence of the flesh. Keep in mind that your old nature is opposed to daily quiet time (and to every other discipline that would please Jesus; see Galatians 5:16-17). Pray that the Holy Spirit will enable your new nature to overcome your old nature in this battle.
The second reason is resistance by Satan. The devil opposes your every effort to please Jesus. His strategy is to rob you of daily quiet time joy, to complicate your time schedule by keeping you up late at night and make it hard for you to get up in the morning, to make you sleepy during your time with the Lord, to make your mind wander, and overall to disrupt your meeting with Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to restrain the devil.
Do it now!
Plan now for your daily quiet time tomorrow—and every tomorrow. If you miss a morning, do not quit. Don’t give the devil the pleasure of defeating you. Ask the Lord to forgive you for missing the meeting and to help you make it next time. You will probably miss several times, and it will take a lot of restarts, and second tries to develop this discipline. Indeed, it takes some people months to mature to the point where they develop the habit of a daily quiet time. For some, it is a lifelong battle. In any case, don’t quit when you miss it. With God’s help determine that you will grow to be a committed disciple who meets Jesus regularly in meaningful daily quiet times.
Reflection Questions
- What is a quiet time, and what elements should be included?
- Of the three reasons listed for a quiet time, which is the most compelling to you?
- Of the practical suggestions listed, which ones give you the most difficulty? Which do you find helpful?
- Which of the problems have you experienced? Are the suggestions helpful?
- What questions do you have about the reading?
- Does this reading convict, challenge or comfort you?
Adapted from Lord of the Universe, Lord of My Life (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1973), pp. 7-12.
