Quiet Time: Entering Into the Secret Place

Spending time with Jesus is by far my favorite part of my day. After all these years of walking with Christ, hearing him speak to me never gets old—and I pray that it never does!

As enjoyable as spending time in the secret place is for me, getting to a point of truly delighting in seeking His face was a journey. When I first set the intention to spend regular time with God, I wasn’t sure where to start or what to do, and establishing a consistent rhythm was challenging.

I thought to myself what exactly is the right way to spend time with God? Maybe that’s where you find yourself today as well.

Although there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to personal time with the Lord, I do believe there are certain practices you can implement to encourage a more enriching experience.

Intentionality

As with any new habit, your first step is setting the intention. If you’re setting out to integrate quiet time in your daily practice, you’re going to need to make some adjustments in your regular schedule. For this reason, before you even start, address any obstacles or distractions that might prevent you from making the most of your time with God.

For a lot of us, that’s scheduling. Setting a dedicated time can be very helpful when you’re looking to establish a regular habit of spending time with God. Adding your “meeting” with God to your calendar is an effective tool to implement. While this is not a realistic option for everyone’s schedule or home environment, it’s certainly ideal. For this reason, I would highly recommend using this strategy.

If your schedule is a little more unpredictable, don’t feel bad. Craft a rhythm that works for you. The goal here isn’t a checklist — it’s connection and intimacy with the One who created us.

When making your plan, it’s important to account for any distractions that might interrupt you as well. If you have kids, maybe the best time for having devotional time is while they’re sleeping, either before they wake up, during naps, or after they’ve gone to sleep.

Perhaps your phone is a distraction. Before you begin your quiet time, put it on Do Not Disturb — or, better yet, turn it off or put it in another room entirely. The important thing is to do your best to minimize potential distractions so that you’re less likely to be…. well, distracted.

The Idol of Comfort

All this aside, one of the biggest challenges in establishing a regular rhythm of quiet time is learning to overcome the pull of personal comfort. Oftentimes — and especially when we first begin to establish a daily habit of spending time with the Lord — it can be easy to shy away from following through when we don’t feel like it. Beware of being led by your feelings rather than by the Holy Spirit. In any situation, this is a dangerous mindset to adopt.

It’s easy to choose binging the next episode of your favorite show or sleeping in an extra hour over spending time with God. These are fleshly responses, and our flesh will always want what is contrary to the Spirit.

Pray that you will have the umption and gumption to resist being distracted or prioritizing your own comfort before seeking God’s kingdom. 1 Corinthians 10:13 is a great one to pray over yourself beforehand.

1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Building a Meaningful Quiet Time

Ready for the fun part? Now that you’re in a distraction-free environment and ready to spend some time with the Lord, what happens next? Typically, my own quiet time consists of several (and ideally all) of the following:

• Praise and worship
• Prayer
• Studying the Bible

Praise & Worship

I almost always begin my time with God by setting the atmosphere with some worship music (although music certainly isn’t a prerequisite of worship — it’s very possible to worship without music!). Psalm 100:4 instructs us to enter into God’s presence with thanksgiving and praise. Jesus also modeled this when he gave the blueprint for the Lord’s Prayer. He starts by saying:

“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.“

To hallow means to exalt or acknowledge someone as holy and sovereign. When we reach for God, it’s important to start by honoring who He is, and worshipping God, with or without music, is a great way to do that.

Don’t rush this part. The reward of worship is experiencing God’s presence. It’s during worship that I typically feel the closest to God, and when God is close, it’s easier to hear His voice.

Prayer

Prayer is another integral piece of quiet time. We’re told in Philippians 4:6 to pray about everything, so you’ve got the pick of the litter when it comes to topics to pray about. Here’s a few things I like to pray for during my quiet time:

• Wisdom and revelation
• Intimacy with God
• My marriage
• Dream interpretation
• Salvation of family and friends
• My church
• My family’s spiritual, financial, and physical health
• To grow in the gifts of the spirit
• My friends

Now does this mean I pray over all of these things every time I sit down with God? Not necessarily! But I do find it helpful to have a list so I don’t forget the important things. Pray what is on your heart and ask the Holy Spirit what He would like you to pray for as well.

It’s also important to keep in mind that prayer is not a one-way conversation. Leave room for God to speak to you as well! For this reason, I like to keep a notebook handy or a digital notetaking app (I like OneNote) for the moments when I receive revelation from the Holy Spirit.

I hate forgetting what God told me because I neglected to write it down somewhere. Our fickle minds are not always the steel traps we think they are. So do yourself a favor and record what you hear God saying to you so that you can return and reflect on it later on.

Studying the Bible

I’m sure it comes as no surprise that reading the Bible is another component you should include in your devotional time. If you’re seeking to know God more intimately, reading his word had better be your first stop! John tells us in the first chapter of his self-titled gospel that the word is God, so it must follow that reading the Word helps us to know God, be better equipped to recognize His voice, and align ourselves with His will.

If you’re new to reading the Bible and wondering where to start, I would recommend starting in the gospels. These four books — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — record the life and ministry of Jesus. From Jesus’ parables to observing his life of complete surrender, there’s so much to unpack in this corner of the Bible.

I’m also a big fan of the book of Proverbs. I typically read a chapter a day with my 7-year-old daughter, Giselle. Wherever you choose to start, you really can’t go wrong! Every page of the Bible is filled with Spirit-inspired wisdom, so whether you start in Genesis or Revelation, you’re guaranteed a certified banger.

Just remember to include the Holy Spirit as you read by asking for His wisdom, guidance, and revelation. Whether you’re reading the Bible for the first time or you’re a veteran, there’s always something new that we can learn about God and His character.

Psalm 119:105 – “Your word is a lamp to my feet, a light on my path.”

The Invitation

So only one question remains: will you accept His invitation today? God is calling you to a deeper level of intimacy with Him. As you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you.

Even if you don’t have an abundance of time, just start. Even if for only ten minutes. It will be time well spent. He’s longing be closer to you, and I have a feeling you won’t regret it.

“What’s one way you can carve out quiet time this week? Drop it in the comments below!”