Qualities of Quiet Time
- Rebecca Kolenda
- Apr 18, 2024
- 7 min read
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105
Until recently, I felt pressured to spend time with God. I thought I had to do it right—the right atmosphere, the right amount of time, the right devotional, the right revelation, the right prayers. Over the years, I sometimes felt discouraged or apprehensive because I thought I wasn't doing it perfectly.
This isn’t how we’re supposed to feel when spending time with God.
Building a relationship with the Lord is like sustaining a friendship. As you hang out, communicate, and prioritize each other, you grow closer together. I don’t know about you, but I love spending time with my friends! Most of my besties live far away and have hectic schedules, so any time we text, chat, or travel to see each other is special. We prioritize communication and time together because we value our friendship.
That’s what building a relationship with God should be like.
How I approach my daily time with the Lord drastically differs from what it used to be. I no longer view it as something I have to do, but something I get to do. I get to spend time with God, who loves me beyond reason, created me with intention, and wants to know everything about my life because He cares. Spending time praying and reading my Bible is no longer a chore that I need to check off my Christian duty list, but it is a foundational habit that brings me closer to Christ and helps me understand more about my faith and myself.
Here are three practices that I reevaluated to value my time with God better:
1. Daily Routines
2. Prayer Habits
3. Bible Study
“A bit of the Book in the morning, To order my onward way.
A bit of the Book in the evening, To hallow the end of the day.” - Margaret Sangster
Daily Routines
The first thing I learned was that my routine mattered—not to God, but to me. God doesn’t care when I designate time to spend with Him, He just wants me to do it. I needed to release myself from the burden of “quiet time” and prioritize daily communication with the Lord whenever it was best for my lifestyle.
In scheduling my daily quiet time, I realized a few things:
Length doesn’t matter. I can read my Bible for two hours or pray for five minutes, but my connection with the Lord matters. Am I rushing through trying to check this time off my to-do list or am I allowing myself to rest in His presence and connect with the Holy Spirit? Connection with God, resetting our thoughts, and relaxing our spirits are the benefits of daily time spent with Him.
Time of day is irrelevant. It doesn’t matter when I spend time with the Lord, as long as I prioritize time to do it! We should posture our hearts to always be in communion with God throughout our day, attuned to the peacefulness of His presence and praying petitions of worship, thanks, and forgiveness continuously, but designating time to specially sit with the Lord and read scripture is important, too. We can pick whatever time is convenient for us—morning, noon, night, or anywhere in between! The exact time doesn’t matter, our intention does.
Be intentional, not legalistic. I’ve had to give myself grace that my quiet time routines can change—and that’s okay! There are times when we can take an hour after we wake up to pray and read the Bible, and there are other moments in life when all we can do is spend ten minutes resting in His presence before bed. Allowing myself to restructure my daily habits and prioritize the quality of time I spend with God has helped me receive more from my quiet time.
Prayer Habits
The next thing I reevaluated was the importance of my prayer life. I’ve always valued prayer and understood its essential connection to communicating with God. However, I needed to (again) release myself from perfectionistic expectations of how my prayers should be and find confidence in knowing that no matter how I pray, God hears me.
A few things that have positively influenced my prayer life include:
Music: Sometimes I need help focusing, so I’ll put on an instrumental worship playlist and pray. Limiting distractions is essential during prayer, and I’ve come to appreciate the added support to help me re-center myself.
Journaling: Through the years, I’ve often prioritized journaling my prayers instead of saying them aloud. Sometimes I write out my feelings better than simply speaking them. I believe both spoken and written prayers are essential in communicating with the Lord, and there’s something significant about each one. However, there’s something inspiring about journaling your heart’s desires and later seeing how God met your needs and transformed your life. Journaling prayers can also be very therapeutic, a practice I find quite important to live a thriving life.
Honesty: Previously, I’ve ridiculed myself for offering short prayers to the Lord, but I’m realizing that it isn’t about the length of my prayer; it's about the transparency of my heart. When I’m honest with God about what I’m going through, how I’m feeling, and what I need from Him, that’s what deepens my faith. Prayer should be a meaningful conversation where I communicate anything and everything to the Lord, allowing time afterward to rest in His peace.
Structure: Learning the acronym PRAY has helped guide my prayers and focus my attention on the fundamentals of an influential prayer life:
Praise and Thanksgiving
Repent
Ask
Yield
If you’re stuck not knowing how to pray, refer to the best prayer Jesus offered in Matthew 6:9-13:
“’This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’”
Here are two other scriptures that help me focus the structure of my prayers:
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Philippians 4:6
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Bible Study
“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” Isaiah 40:8
The last thing I reevaluated was how to study scripture. As a life-long Christian, I knew reading the Bible was important, but I didn’t always know how to connect with scripture. Some Bible verses are easy to understand, while others are quite confusing. Here are a few insights that have helped me understand the value of scripture:
The Bible was not originally written in English. Sometimes, I forget this simple fact. Every time I read the Word of God, it’s a translation, which means that sometimes I miss the exact meaning of words, thus not reading the entire scripture as it was originally written. This knowledge has shown me the value of word studies in understanding the original text of what the Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic words really mean.
The Bible is a historical book. Knowing the historical and cultural context of scripture is also beneficial. In our modern-day society, some Biblical events seem harsh, inexcusable, and confusing, but only because we don’t understand the customs behind them. Realizing that the Bible has historical meaning reveals so much more depth and insight into the significance of God’s Word.
Now, I’m not professionally trained in Biblical studies, so to learn about the intricacies of original text and cultural context, I’ve started listening to podcasts hosted by professional Bible teachers and theology advisors. My go-to podcast is Lisa Harper's Back Porch Theology because I find each episode relatable and insightful.
*If you're interested in listening to Lisa Harper's podcast, click the link below:
In my struggle to study scripture effectively, I had to learn that I could do more than read the Bible. I’d spent many years habitually reading scripture, but I wasn’t always gleaning wisdom from it. Reading was simply a mundane routine, which is not how God wants us to approach reading His Word! I had to realize that although reading the Bible was essential, there were other resources to help me better understand scripture.
Here are three beneficial tools I’ve used to study God’s Word:
YouVersion Bible App: This has been so helpful in reading different translations, finding devotionals on topics of interest, and completing Bible reading challenges. It’s free to download and has unlimited resources to support your Bible study needs!
Christian Living Books: When I need more insight into a particular topic (usually a personal circumstance, but it can also be a Biblical interest), I will select a Christian living book to glean personal and Biblical wisdom from the author. One particular book that helped me define the importance of my walk with Christ and my identity in Him was You Are More Than You’ve Been Told by Hosanna Wong. It provides a lot of practical advice, godly wisdom, and scriptural content. I highly recommend it!
Bible Studies: I find guided studies useful because they provide a focused insight into scripture and can clarify concentrated verses. It’s a different way to learn and connect with God’s Word, which I always appreciate!
“Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years.” - Charles Spurgeon
Quality Quiet Time
"When asked, ‘What is more important: prayer or reading the Bible?’ I ask, ‘What is more important: breathing in or breathing out?’” — Charles Spurgeon
In John 15:5, Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.” Quiet time with the Lord is meant to feed our spirits and bring life to our souls. It is what keeps us connected to the heart of Christ. Spending time with God shouldn’t feel like a dreaded burden, but it should meet our needs and restore our stamina. Sometimes, it’s hard to feel His presence and know that God’s really there, but when we spend time praying and reading scripture, we learn to trust in His promises and gain the faith necessary to renew our minds and transform our lives.
