Quiet Time or God Insurance?

Quiet time? Is that the short burst of time you occupy your kids with a video and read up on the latest posts from your favorite blogger? Or does is describe the silence in the car as you head to the doctor’s office while the kiddies are safely occupied with a sitter at home?

For many Christians, Quiet Time is the catch phrase used to describe the time spent in meditation with the Lord, not with the computer or doctor! Technically speaking, Quiet Time happens every day, preferably in the morning, with a Bible in hand. Some folks bring along a devotional. Others add the use of a journal to record their prayers and praises.

What about you? Do you have a Quiet Time with the Lord?

I’ve been a Christian for almost 15 years, but it wasn’t until just five years ago that my Quiet Time took shape. I was out for coffee with a dear friend, Julie, whining about my relationship with the Lord feeling flat and various other life issues. She looked at me straight in the eyes and boldly said, “Get real, Elisa, and get God off your To Do list.” Boy, she knew the truth! I was so busy being a Christian by going to church on Sunday and doing my small group homework, yet never making the time to sit before the Lord each day to read His word and respond in prayer. I was treating God like my genie, asking for things all the time, like “Please help me find a parking spot, and by the way, can you heal my friend’s husband’s mother’s sister?” But I wasn’t allowing God to teach me about Himself, His character, and His promises through the Word. Nor were my prayers able to be of any substance because my perspective on God was so limited.

I spent the next twenty-four hours wrestling with God over the truth Julie sweetly but sternly communicated to me the day before, when I was interrupted by a divine appointment: my friend, Jodi, showed up at my door all the way from North Dakota. She came bearing a gift for me, Ruth Myers’ devotional book, “The Satisfied Heart: 31 Day of Experiencing God’s Love.”

“Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.”

Proverbs 23:12

The next afternoon, right after my girls went down for their rest, and before checking email or returning phone calls, I decided to try out this Quiet Time concept. I grabbed my Bible, an old journal, and Ruth Myers’ book. At the end of the first day’s reading, there was a collection of verses. I decided to look up all those verses up in my Bible and see the context in which they were written. Then I picked one verse and wrote it at the top of my journal page. Below, I wrote out my first prayer. I haven’t stopped since.

Five years later, and I’ve barely missed a day sitting with the Lord for my Quiet Time. I say this not to brag, but to challenge you that it is possible. Some days it happens before the kids rise, other days, before my head hits the pillow. Some Quiet Times last only five minutes, if I’m lucky. Others last thirty minutes or more. But God has used this discipline of reading His Word, writing out Scripture, and journaling my prayers as a way of getting to know Him more personally, and now I am addicted!

“Now, O women, hear the word of the LORD; open your ears to the words of his mouth.”
Jeremiah 9:20

Do you need some God Insurance?

I started this practice of Quiet Time to prove my friend Julie wrong, but I also hoped it would guarantee a better life; one with less trouble and more blessing. God has recently revealed to me that I misunderstood the purpose of Quiet Time. It isn’t a guarantee of happy times, but rather an investment in God Insurance. We’re all encouraged to take out life insurance, not because it will guarantee that bad things won’t happen, but because we want to be prepared when it does. That is exactly what Quiet Time is about! If we want to be prepared for life’s circumstances, we need to invest time into getting to know who God is through the study of His Word. When we have God’s Word soaked into our minds and hearts, we give the Holy Spirit plenty of opportunity to recall prayers, praises, and promises when we need a good dose of God Insurance during the trials of life!

So how’s your investment into God Insurance going these days? It is time to refill that empty account?

Share with us what you currently do for your Quiet Time with the Lord! Tell us what results have you seen from faithfully studying the Word and spending time in prayer!

We’d love to hear from you!

In His Awe,