Well, before we get to quiet time, there was basically
nothing quiet about our week, but we do have some funny stories and lots of laughs for you! Podcast Tuesday!
Last week, after I wrote about how I need to remember to
sit quietly before the Lord, I received an email asking me to share a bit more about what my quiet time/devo time looks like. I thought that was a great question and the story-preserver in me wants to be sure to remember what it looks like in this season of my life, so that's what I am going to talk about today! Here are some of my tips and suggestions, along with a peek into what I'm doing right now!
1. Pick your best time of day.
Most of the time, if you read about having quiet time, you'll read you need to do it first thing in the morning. Give God your very first moments. While I appreciate the spirit of that, I'll be perfectly honest with you: my first moments are my worst moments. I have tried before to do my devotions first thing in the morning, and pretty much what happens is God watches me sleep with my Bible open in my lap.
My best time of day is the end of the day. I'm energized and my mind is active. So that's when I do my devotions now. (That's actually when I always did them as a teenager and single adult. I got hit with guilt-gut after I got married and read some article about being a better wife and Christian if I would just start my day with devos. That's why I tried to switch. It did not work for me. And I no longer feel guilty, because I actually get something out of my quiet time now!)
2. Make sure you actually read in the Bible.
This was another bad habit I had for a while. I was so busy reading devotional books, I never actually cracked open the Bible. I would read the verses in the margin of the devo book, but I didn't spend much time in the actual Bible.
I'm not knocking devotional books. In fact, I've written devotional material before and plan to do more of it! But remember that those are created to supplement reading the Bible, not to replace it. The books are written to give you some direction of where to read or some deeper explanation for what you might be reading in the Word, but they shouldn't actually replace the Word.
This year, I'm doing a read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year program, so that is my study plan. I'm not reading a supplemental devo this year. I do sometimes look up parts I don't understand in a commentary, but I am not using a devo for this season.
3. Dig into the parts that intrigue you or things you don't understand.
Speaking of commentaries...I find the Matthew Henry commentary extremely helpful and very theologically sound. Matthew Henry lived a long time ago and wrote in a much more formal version of English than we use now, but there is an online version of his commentary that has been modernized a bit for word usage without compromising the message. (And since the original commentary has a whole bunch of volumes, the online or app version saves you space and allows you to have it with you at all times...right there on your phone!)
Ryan and I refer to the commentary often in our daily reading, in church, in Sunday School - anytime we run into a passage that baffles us. It helps us understand more of the cultural context or maybe a nod to some other Bible passage we haven't come to yet that gives more information.
4. Take some notes.
School teachers will tell you that students retain things better when they write them down. I love taking notes when I'm studying, because I think the same thing is true for quiet time. Write down notes about verses that stuck out to you, things you learned, questions you still have, or convictions you feel as you read.
(Bonus! This also makes a fantastic journal of your spiritual journey that chronicles what you're learning so you - or your children - can one day look back and see what God was teaching you!)
5. Mark in your Bible (unless you are super opposed to it).
Some people are very against marking in their Bibles, and I totally respect that. For them, it's a matter of respecting the Word by not writing in it. If that is your conviction, please stick to it and know that I totally support you!
I don't have that conviction, however, and I love to mark in my Bibles. I love to underline and highlight verses that stick out to me, write dates beside verses that are meaningful to me at a certain time, and write notes and quotes in the margins. (Sermons, Bible studies, etc.) I have a handful of Bibles I've used over the last 25 years, and if you look back through them, you'll see how God has been slowly growing me through each season! You'll see verses friends sent to me on certain dates and things I learned from the pastors and teachers I've had. These Bibles and the records within them are precious to me!
6. Try some different learning tools and don't feel you're committed to them for life.
This year Ryan and I are doing a chronological Bible reading plan. I've read through the Bible before, but never chronologically, and I am learning SO MUCH. I'm seeing many things in a new way. I won't do this every single year, but this is a great stretching tool for me this year.
I've also recently started using a color coding system in my Bible to mark verses in different colors according to different things. It helps me learn to recognize major themes as I read...and it's just pretty! I won't color code every Bible I ever have, but this is an interesting practice for right now.
Some people read the same devo book every day for a decade and make notes each day about what they learned. Then they go back and see how God used the same message to speak to them differently on January 1st over the course of ten years, for example. I set out to do this in my thirties, but it didn't end up being a good fit for me, so I didn't stick with it. But I still like the idea of it, so I offer it to you.
7. Don't forget to listen.
Most people are pretty good about remembering to pray, but praying = chattering. It's good to remember to spend part of your time listening. Like I said last week, I need to so more of that. :) When I need to listen, I put myself in time out. I sit away from distractions (hello phone, TV and computer!) and often I curl up under a blanket almost like I'm curled up in God's lap. I ask my question and then just sit to listen.
I usually fall asleep. That used to bother me too, but I've learned I usually hear God best as I'm drifting off to sleep or first wake up. So now it doesn't bother me. If it happens, I figure I need the rest, and I get excited to hear some little whisper in the drifting! (I also try to write down what I hear quickly before I forget it.)
8. Discouragement happens.
I was emailing one of my Bible-reading accountability partners this week, and she told me she'd had a hard week. Life just sort of happened, and it does, doesn't it? You don't feel good, you have too many commitments, you're tired, you're not getting anything out of what you're doing...on and on the list goes.
It happens. Much like anything else in life, it doesn't mean you're a total failure and you need to start completely over. It's usually just a season. Persevere and ask God to bring back the joy and the heart connection again. It may not happen right away, but He will do it!
9. Don't mix up discipline and legalism.
I'm a huge believer in being disciplined in your walk with the Lord. I'm not an advocate of skipping church because you're tired, avoiding your quiet time because you'd rather watch TV, or not praying because you're mad at God. I am an advocate of pushing through and showing up for your time with Him even if you don't feel like it, would rather be doing something else, or don't have time. For me, it is an issue of respect and love for Jesus. I want to spend that time with Him.
Having said that, discipline can cross over a very fine line into legalism. There might be a Sunday when your body and soul desperately need rest, and worshiping from home might be what you need. There might be a night when you fall asleep on the couch before you do your quiet time or a morning when you oversleep and wake up ten minutes before you have to leave for work. In those moments, give yourself grace and get back in your rhythm.
10. Keep it interesting!
I'm always looking for new ideas for spending time with the Lord. And yes, sometimes I find them on Pinterest. I love finding ideas for new books, different study practices, additional resources, you name it.
I love trying different things to see if I can learn something new. Sometimes I love them and keep them. Sometimes they're okay, but after a season I try something else. Keep watching for something new to try, and allow it to bring joy and life into your time together with the Lord!
Hope that helps if you need some ideas! Most of all, just spend time with the Lord! He loves that!
