Devotional times or “quiet times” are vital to our spiritual growth. Seek to spend time alone with the Lord each day in His Word and in prayer. There is no one way to do it, and the method may change from day to day and in different seasons of life. The important thing is that you spend time with Him consistently.
The purpose of a quiet time is not to do Bible study, although spending time in His Word should definitely be part of your time alone with Him.
The purpose of a quiet time is not to just pray, although that also should be part of your time alone with God.
The purpose of a quiet time is not just a time to confess your sins, although we certainly should include that in our quiet times.
But those three things are not the purpose of a quiet time. They are essential ingredients to help us accomplish the main purpose, spending time with God. That includes fellowshipping with the Lord, enjoying being alone in His presence, getting to know His heart through His Word, and sharing our heart with Him in prayer.
Our days are naturally filled with lots of noise, hurrying from one place and one event to another. We are surrounded by people. To take time away to just sit and enjoy the presence of God is not easy for some, especially in the midst of busyness.
Unless we plan for daily times alone with God and in His Word, that time will be pushed aside to make room for all the other pressing voices screaming for our attention.
We all have situations that will draw us away from spending time with Him – children, jobs, family responsibilities, and other pressing needs – but make time alone with the Lord a priority each day. Spend time in His Word each day, even if it’s just to meditate on one verse.
- Do you look forward to your quiet times each day? Or do you view them as something you HAVE to do, or something you can check off your to-do list?
- What can you do to make your times alone with the Lord more of a delight?
- What keeps you from spending time alone with God?
Don’t let the busyness of life crowd out your time alone with God.
