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A few weeks ago, I was talking with a friend about the seasons of my "quiet time". I might get up early now to spend quiet time with the Lord, but it has taken on different forms during different times of my life. There is no right answer, and as soon as I acknowledged that a "quiet time" doesn't have to look the same for everybody or even the same everyday, my time with our Father became even sweeter!
So I want to encourage you today - if you are in a Quiet Time Rut or if you are not sure what it even looks like to meet with God on a daily basis! You can do it! It's not difficult, there is no magical formula and you have to find what speaks and works for you! Here are a few tips to Kickstart Your Quiet Time!
Schedule Time with the Lord
This was the biggest game changer for me! For a long while after I first had Charlotte and was still a newborn momma, I would do my "quiet time" when I put her down for her morning nap. I would turn on Yo Gabba Gabba for Brady and sit in my room to "spend time with Jesus".
Now, I wake up early before the rest of my house gets up because once I start going, I am going nonstop until bedtime. But it wasn't always like this. Find what works for YOU and commit to it!!
Create a Quiet Time Spot
Creating a specific spot where I meet alone with the Lord has always been important to me. I once heard a mentor talk about how they would walk by that chair or spot on the floor and remember what they had previously heard from the Lord. For me, it wasn’t necessarily about that but more about a private place to listen, pray and write.
When I first started having a quiet time consistently, it was a chair in our master bedroom that I had from college. It sat right next to a window where I could watch out at what was going on down the street. That sounds distracting, I know, but for me it always helps to move my thoughts by looking at nature.
Now I don’t have my own chair and I sit on the couch. I tried sitting on a different chair one morning, but I just didn’t like it. I guess I’m just a creature of habit!
Start a New Devotional Book
If you’re feeling like you are in a rut and don’t know where to start, pick up a new devotional that will help guide you through scripture and God’s Word. A few of my favorites are Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman, My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers, Pathways to His Presence and anything by She Reads Truth, particularly Women in the Word.
Read a Book of the Bible, Alone
This is seriously what changed my walk with the Lord - studying His Word all by itself. If you are new to it, I’d start with the New Testament and maybe something like Philippians or Colossians. Make sure to read the introduction to the book and if you don’t have a good study bible with context and study notes, head over to studylight.org and you can look up loads of it there!
Go Outside
For a long time I viewed quiet times as if they were in this night and tidy little box with a lid that opened for 10.5 minutes every day. But what I’ve learned is that my time with the Lord not only changes with my seasons of life but also can change day to day as well. If you’re stuck and feeling like your prayers are hitting the ceiling, go on a walk and spend time praising God for His creation and praying for what’s on your heart. It’s not a coincidence that so many people say they feel “closer to God” when they are in nature. The distractions are fewer and the white noise is limited! Try it!
Switch it Up with Worship
This is one of my favorites. I remember an incredibly weary season in my life that when I got up before the kids I could barely make my own cup of coffee. Jeff was traveling and they were small and incredibly dependent on me for everything. I wasn’t sleeping well, and as much as I wanted that five more minutes, I knew I would regret it. So I would get up and sit with my hot cup of coffee in both hands and listen to worship music. Don’t minimize what this can do for your walk!
Journal
Keep a journal of prayers, answers to prayers, praises and the things that God is teaching you! It’s always a blessing for me to go back through past journals and see what He has done for me and through me. It is also such a beautiful way to process what I am learning. Writing has always cleared my thoughts out and journaling does just that.
I hope one or more of these will help you kickstart your quiet time this week! When that alarm goes off in the morning and I desperately want to hit snooze one more time, I remember that I will most certainly regret it. I can’t remember a time when I’ve thought “I wish I had stayed in bed a bit longer”. Remember, God’s word never returns void. Let it wash over your should this week as you renew your mind in Him.