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Summary:
Lies we believe about our quiet time keep us from spending that precious time with God. I’m confronting 10 lies from the devil that have kept me from spending time with God.
Hi friend, I’m Brigette Henry. I’m a Spiritual Formation Coach and I help women develop a deeper relationship with God. Welcome to my podcast, Journey Together, where I explore topics related to spiritual growth and formation. (music fades in) Today, I’m answering the question: what is a quiet time?
(music fades out)
Introduction
Hi friend! I actually had time this week to sit down and plan some content and I am so excited about what I have planned for the rest of April! This month, we’re going to focus on Quiet Time. I’ll talk about what it is, what it should look like, what resources I recommend and so much more. I’m also creating a quiz so you can find out your quiet time type! We all do quiet time differently, and the quiz is designed to help you identify your quiet time goals and find resources to help you achieve them.
I’ll also be releasing a new product later this month. I’m calling it the Quiet Time Guide: How to Craft an Intentional and effective quiet time. I’m realizing now that no one ever taught me how to have a quiet time. So, I’m creating the Quiet Time Guide to share all of the things I’ve learned and to give you some ideas for having a unique and powerful time with God.
But first, I have an announcement to make. Starting today, I’m hosting a Quiet Time Bundle giveaway on my website! You can go to brigettehenry.com to enter to win. There is a link on the home page. Or you can find the direct link in the show notes. The bundle includes some of my favorite resources, including my new Quiet Time Guide! The contest ends April 30th, so make sure you enter before then.
What is a Quiet Time?
Now that all of that is out of the way, let’s move on to today’s topic. Today I’m going to be answering the question, “What is a Quiet Time?”
This is the definition I like to use:
Quiet time is intentional time spent with God in order to realign your heart with His.
Let me say that one more time.
Quiet time is intentional time spent with God in order to realign your heart with His.
The Need for Realignment
Have you ever needed to take in your car to have your tires realigned? Usually, they realign your tires when you have them rotated, so for the longest time I didn’t actually know that tires needed realignment. But, essentially, over time, your tires will get crooked and won’t align with each other. Imagine if your front left tire was pointed slightly to the left. Your car would veer to the left rather than going straight. So you need to have your tires aligned twice a year to make sure you drive straight when you want to drive straight!
It’s the same way with our relationship with God. The things of this world, the busyness, the chaos, the stress, they all pull us out of alignment with God. And we need intentional time with God to bring us back into alignment. We want to go where God wants us to go. It’s hard to do that when we’re not aligned with Him.
We see this in our romantic relationships too. When we’ve spent too much time apart from our significant other, our goals and priorities stop lining up. That’s why we go on dates. You can call or text a significant other whenever you want, but that doesn’t do much to align you in the long run. We need intentional time together to learn about each other, grow together, and build our lives together. That’s what we’re doing with God when we have quiet time with Him.
So, there are three things I want to teach you about quiet time today. First, quiet time is intentional. Second, quiet time is essential. And third, quiet time is relational.
Quiet Time Is Intentional
First, quiet time is Intentional. “Intentional” was my word for 2023. I learned a lot about what it means to choose how you spend your time, money, and other resources. But ironically, I forgot to apply that to my time with God. So my quiet time was still sporadic and mediocre.
Towards the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, my quiet time got a big makeover. I found a system that works for me, and figured out how to be more consistent with my quiet time even in a season of chaos. If you’re interested in learning that system, I’ll have more on that in my Quiet Time Guide which I’ll release at the end of this month. But for now, I want to share some ways you can be more intentional with your quiet time today.
Quiet Time vs. Quiet Moments
I think we need to start by distinguishing between quiet time and quiet moments with God. I’ve often heard people use 1 Thessalonians 5:17 as an excuse not to have a quiet time. 1 Thessalonians is a letter from the apostle Paul written to the church at Thessalonica. In chapter 5 verse 17, Paul encourages Christians to, “pray constantly.” Because we’re instructed to pray constantly, some people believe intentional quiet time with God is unnecessary. They believe we should be living every moment in His presence, and that is enough.
While it’s true we should be spending all day with God, that intentional time is still important! Earlier I mentioned the difference between texting a significant other and spending quality time with them. Our relationship with God works the same way. We should pray throughout the day about the fears and worries that come up. But we also need a quiet space to spend time alone with God. That intentional time with Him is valuable.
Intentional Quiet Time Requires Planning
And it requires some planning. We need to think about what we’re going to do, when we’re going to do it and where. It helps to have all of our quiet time supplies in one place. You can designate a basket or bag for your quiet time things and keep it in a common area. When it’s time for your quiet time, just grab your supplies and go. You won’t have to wander around the house collecting what you need.
I’ve also mentioned scheduling your quiet time in previous podcast episodes. This helps ensure that you have time set aside for your quiet time. If you block out thirty minutes on your calendar, you’re less likely to commit to another responsibility during that time period.
Now, I don’t expect anyone listening to this podcast to walk away with a plan that will always work. There will be snow days. Work meetings will get rescheduled for inconvenient times. Children will get sick. Cars won’t start. Appointments will go long. Depending on your season of life, you may have to be more flexible. And that’s okay! Having a rough and flexible plan is better than having no plan at all. Just take ten minutes to get your things together and look at your schedule. When could you make quiet time happen tomorrow? Just start there and take it one day at a time.
The Purpose of Quiet Time
Planning ahead also helps ensure that we will have a quality quiet time. The purpose of our quiet time is to realign our hearts with the heart of God. So a quality quiet time is one that reflects that purpose. When we are intentional about finding a quiet space where we can be alone with material that supports our spiritual growth, we will have a better quiet time!
Next week I’m going to talk about quiet time methods. And the following week, I’ll talk about my favorite quiet time resources. For now, the best advice I can give is to look for resources that reflect the truth we find in scripture. When references are listed, check those references to make sure that scripture was used correctly. The more familiar you are with your Bible, the easier this will be. Especially when you’re reading a book that doesn’t reference specific Bible verses. So spend more time in scripture and you’ll be more equipped to filter those extra-biblical resources. I also have a podcast episode on extra-biblical resources you can check out. I’ll put that link in the show notes.
Quiet Time Is Essential
Second, quiet time is Essential. Have you ever been to a funeral for someone who was truly on fire for God? Usually at these funerals, I find out more about the person’s personal relationship with God than I did before they died. The people closest to them say things like, “they read their Bible everyday”, or “you should have seen their prayer list. They prayed for everybody!”
It’s beautiful to hear these things after someone passes. But, I’ve also attended funerals for people who were not believers. Or, they claimed to be believers, but didn’t live a life that pleased God. At these funerals, I don’t hear about the person’s walk with Jesus. There’s no Bible in the casket, no favorite hymns to sing, and no people coming because they were blessed by the person who passed. Everyone who comes, comes out of obligation.
The people who spent their life with Jesus behind closed doors are the people who acted like Jesus when the doors were opened. I’m going to say that one more time. The people who spent their life with Jesus behind closed doors are the people who acted like Jesus when the doors were opened. I actually think Jesus is the best example of this!
Numerous times in scripture we read that Jesus went off by Himself to pray. Even Jesus, who was fully God and fully man, needed to connect with His Father to align Himself with His Father’s will!
If Jesus Needed Quiet Time, So Do We!
I often wonder why Jesus needed this quiet time with His Father. If He was fully God, why would He need to take that time by Himself? But, He was also fully man. Hebrews 4:15 tells us:
We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.
I am not an expert in theology, but if Jesus is able to sympathize with our weaknesses, I think He wasn’t just modeling good quiet time habits. I think He needed them too.
In Mark 1:35-38, it says,
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he got up, went out, and made his way to a deserted place; and there he was praying. Simon and his companions searched for him, and when they found him they said, “Everyone is looking for you.” And he said to them, “Let’s go on to the neighboring villages so that I may preach there too. This is why I have come.”
Here we see his disciples looking for Him. People needing Him. A ministry waiting for Jesus to begin. But Jesus went off to pray first.
It is so arrogant of us to think that we can get away with not spending deliberate time with God. If Jesus modeled that time, if Jesus needed that quiet time, it is essential to the Christian life.
Quiet Time Is Relational
Last, but not least, quiet time is Relational. I accepted Christ 25 years ago when I was five years old. And no one has ever taught me how to have a quiet time. As a child, I heard things like, “you should be reading your Bible everyday” and “you should be praying everyday”. I grew up overwhelmed by the number of rules I had to follow.
The thing is, these rules don’t exist in the Bible. They are good guidelines, but they border on legalism. Legalism is when rules are created by people who are trying to earn their salvation. Or when people try to make themselves worthy of God’s love. Reading your Bible and praying everyday isn’t bad, and it’s not bad advice. But God doesn’t want us to obey to earn our salvation. In fact, He knows we can’t earn our salvation at all. That’s a lesson that took almost 25 years for me to learn.
Mercy, Not Sacrifice
In Matthew chapter 9, Jesus calls Matthew to follow Him, and there’s a party, presumably at Matthew’s house, afterwards. This is what Matthew 9:10-13 says:
While he was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Now when he heard this, he said, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
When Jesus said, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice”, He was referring to Hosea 6:6. In Hosea 6:6, the prophet Hosea calls the people of Israel to repent. He says their love for God isn’t genuine. They come to God only when they need Him and do whatever they want when their circumstances improve. While they follow the Law and sacrifice and observe holidays as God instructed, their heart is not in their actions. They do not love God.
The Faithlife Study Bible explains it in this way:
“Hosea…critiques Israel for focusing on the letter of the law while ignoring its spirit. God desires His people’s faithfulness and steadfast love more than their ritual observances.”
Quiet Time with a Relational God
So what does that mean for our quiet time? It means we shouldn’t be spending time with God out of ritualistic obedience. He gave us His word so we can know Him more. There will be days when it’s hard to sit down for our quiet time. Sometimes, we have to force ourselves to do it. But we do it because we love God and we want to know Him more.
One of my favorite passages is Exodus 33-34. I’ll probably do a podcast on this at some point and it would make a great topic for a speaking engagement if anyone needs a speaker because this is a passage I’m incredibly passionate about. In Exodus 33, God tells Moses He won’t go with the people of Israel anymore because they are “a stiff necked people” (v. 3). Moses begs God to remain with them, and God agrees that He will travel with them.
Then, instead of thanking God for remaining with them, Moses says “Please, let me see your glory” (v. 18). The boldness of that always floors me. But although those are the words that came out of Moses’ mouth, that’s not exactly what he meant. Right before Moses asks to see God’s glory, God tells Moses, “you have found favor with me, and I know you by name (v. 17)”. Moses is not vainly asking to see God, he’s asking God to reveal Himself. Moses wants to know God more.
God Said Yes
And our God is a relational God who wants to know us, so He doesn’t hesitate to say yes! He warns Moses that Moses cannot see His face or Moses will die. So in Exodus 34, God covers Moses’ face as He passes before him. And Moses sees God’s back as He moves away. But the best part isn’t that God said yes to Moses. It’s that God takes the opportunity as He passes before Moses to describe Himself so Moses can truly know Him.
He says:
The Lord, the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love.
There’s more to it and I encourage you to spend some time in that passage because I don’t have time to do that today. But needless to say, our God is a relational God. A loving and compassionate God that wants to meet us where we’re at. And quiet time is one of the ways we create space to nurture our relationship with Him.
Conclusion
There is so much more I’m hoping to share with you this month about quiet time. This series has already been healing for me. And I hope it’s healing for you as well. It’s so easy in the hurry of life to forget we need to ground ourselves in the truth of His word. I hope you’ll join me this month in committing to intentional quiet times that prepare you for the ministry He has planned for you.
I’ll be back next week with some of my favorite quiet time study and prayer methods. If you want a better quiet time but don’t know where to start, make sure you tune in next week! If you want to make sure you don’t miss an episode, subscribe to the podcast or join my email newsletter. You can find the link for the newsletter in the show notes. And don’t forget to head over to brigettehenry.com to sign up for the Quiet Time Bundle Giveaway! My daughter and I picked out some fun supplies and I’m including some of my favorite resources. You definitely don’t want to miss it.
I hope you have a great week. I’ll see you next week as we continue this Spiritual Formation Journey Together.
Links:
Music by: Morning Garden – Acoustic Chill by Olexy on Pixabay
My website: https://brigettehenry.com
Journey Together FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/journeytogetherchristianwomen
Interested in 1:1 coaching: https://brigettehenry.com/coaching
Subscribe to my weekly email: https://brigettehenry.com/subscribe
ENTER THE GIVEAWAY: https://brigettehenry.com/giveaway/quiet-time-bundle
Contact me at: brigette@brigettehenry.com
Podcast Episode on Extra-Biblical Resources: https://brigettehenry.com/how-to-use-extra-biblical-resources/
All scripture is CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
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