Quiet time, Part 1

A quiet time – Part 1

What are the important elements of a quiet time? A one-word answer is P.R.A.Y.

Preparation.

Routine.

Assignment.

You.

PREPARATION

Job 42:5-6

My ears had heard of You but now my eyes have seen You. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.

Just like preparing for a trip or a test, I need to prepare my schedule, my attitude, my heart to meet with God in a quiet time. I am called to approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, boldness, and sincerity because of having been made righteous through Jesus (see Hebrews 10:29-23). Yet at the same time, I am called to come in humble repentance so that my heart might be restored in right relationship to God (see Jeremiah 15:19).

All too many times I breeze in expecting the miraculous in the 5 minutes I’ve allotted to God for a quiet time. Yet when the clock of my inattention and impatience dings loudly at the end of my appointed quiet time, I drag away disappointed that I know nothing new to counteract the regrets of the last 24 hours. I need to realize conviction itself is a miraculous gift designed to draw me closer in confession to the One Who will never forget or forsake (see Hebrews 13:5b). As importantly, I must know confession will lead me to thanksgiving. Then thanksgiving will lead me to supplication and then, supplication to worship. And there in worship, I begin to recognize that God is worthy, not just in quiet times, but in every minute of my life (see Philippians 3:10-11).

ROUTINE

Psalm 20:4

May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

Christian bookstores and websites are filled with books on how to have quiet times along with devotional books written to read during those quiet times. As one who has read the books (and even written them), I’ve searched through the stacks, lists, and reviews hoping to find just the right book. All the while, I didn’t realize that the best Book, the right Book was there on my desk all along…my Bible…

The Living Word of God is the source of wisdom, challenge, hope, and truth for all time, including quiet times. Every word, every phrase, every promise is rich, ready, and waiting for me to come. And every time I come to meet with God in His Word, I find love in John, praise in Psalms, hope in Philippians, mourning in Lamentations, courage in Hebrews, wisdom in Proverbs, comfort in Isaiah, and help for today in all the verses held between. For when I turn my heart to Him in prayer before reading the Bible, I will find Him waiting for me to find Him and know Him more, there in His Word.

A good place to start in reading in His Word is with a daily Bible reading plan, be it from a book, app, or with a friend. These plans may seem intimidating, but the important thing to keep in mind is to read something from the Bible every single day. It’s easy (especially for those of us with Type A personalities) to get caught up in just getting through reading the material without actually learning from the material. At the same time, it’s also easy to get overwhelmed (if not completely lost) in the amount of material to read each day.  The bottom line is that I need to be in the Word every day and to learn from the Word every day, be it a phrase, a verse, a chapter, or a book.

Please come back next week for Quiet time, Part 2 where we will talk more about quiet times and finish the P.R.A.Y. acronym together.

Thank you for joining me today with Quiet time, Part 1 AND celebrating today with me (5/31/22) in the release of my first book, Good Ground, Volume 1. This book is a Bible study book meant to encourage you (individually or in groups) in your quiet times and your days through exploring new interactions between science and faith. See below for purchasing info…

I am so grateful for each and everyone of YOU!

I’d LOVE for you to join me on this journey to Jesus, please click on the link below to sign up to follow this blog – thank YOU!

https://soulscientistblog.com/blog/

Here’s a link where you can purchase Good Ground, Volume 1 directly from Northeastern Baptist Press: (discounts available for bulk orders for groups)

Good Ground, Volume 1 is also available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books A Million, and other book distributors.  

https://www.nebpvermont.com/good-ground-volume-1

Stay tuned for Good Ground, Volume 2 coming Fall 2022, also from Northeastern Baptist Press!

Written by and copyrighted to Beth Madison, Ph.D., 2022.