5 Tips for Having Meaningful Quiet Times with Jesus

To listen to the podcast episode click below:

I need Jesus. I desperately need Him. Even when I don’t think I need Him, I need Him. Especially when I don’t think I need Him, I need Him.

I’ve often said, and honestly believe, I’ve learned more from my failures than my successes. So many times I’ve been doing my own thing, thinking I can handle my life just fine, until something happens that reminds me just how dependent I am on Jesus.

I’m thankful for these reality checks He sends along the way. He has a wonderful way of reminding us that without Him things get messy really quickly.

I’ve been serving Jesus for 30 years. He’s taught me so many things. I’ve stored up much wisdom in my heart throughout the years, but one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that I will always desperately need Him. He holds the words of life. He is the Word of Life.

As a mere human here on earth, I have access to all the wisdom of the universe. Ephesians 1:8 tells us God has lavished on us all wisdom and understanding. We have no reason to go through life lacking the knowledge we need in order to live a successful life. Our Father promises to give us wisdom generously and without reproach. But the transfer of that wisdom isn’t automatic. The passing on of that wisdom from the mind of Christ to our mind happens through daily fellowship and relationship with the One who promises to give us what we need when we ask.

Daily fellowship with God is key to growing in our Christian walk. Daily fellowship means times of prayer, studying and meditating on the scriptures, worshiping Him and listening for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Not only is this a Christian duty, it’s also one of the greatest privileges we have as children of God, to be able to talk directly to our Heavenly Father.

There are many different names for these set-apart times when we talk to God and wait to hear from Him; devotions, quiet times, prayer times. It doesn’t matter what we call them, what matters is that we make time for them.

A wise person once told me, “If you make an appointment with God, He will show up.”

When we set aside a time and place to talk to God and hear from Him, He will meet us there and speak to us.

Building and maintaining a strong relationship with anyone requires spending time together, talking and being committed to each other. That’s where daily devotions come in. If we want to grow in God and stay spiritually healthy we must talk to Him and allow Him to talk to us through prayer and the Word. We must be committed to making time for Him even during the busy seasons. It’s the only way.

I encourage you to commit to a daily quiet time, a time when you push back the demands of this world and talk to your Father in Heaven. I encourage you to read the Bible daily, to study it and meditate on it, to store it up in your heart so the Holy Spirit remind you of it when you need it.

There are so many ways to have daily devotions. There is no one-size-fits all because we are all made differently. Just start, even if it’s awkward at first. Eventually you will find a rhythm that works for you. You will start looking forward to these times as you see change in yourself and feel your faith growing stronger.

Over the years my devotions have changed depending on my season of life. There was a time I could spend hours studying the Bible and praying. It wasn’t a chore to me but a blessing. But as I became a wife and then a mom my time for devotions and prayer became very limited. Though I craved to have more time, I tried to be faithful to use the time I had. I called it filling the pockets with Jesus. I found little pockets of time during my days that never seem like enough time to have a real devotional, but when all added together they make up a considerable amount of time. So I would pray as I went through the day, filling these little pockets of time with a Bible verse, a short prayer, a worship song.

As my children have grown and don’t need me as much I’ve been able to have longer devotional times. I’m thankful for that.

But I wouldn’t have been able to make it successfully through the little years if I hadn’t made time for Jesus. There was so much I didn’t know. So many decisions I couldn’t have made without Him. So many days I depended on Him for strength, and my quiet times were where I received the answers, wisdom, and strength to be the mom my family needed.

I hope daily time with Jesus is your regular practice. But if it’s not, if you struggle in this area, I encourage you to make it a goal. Here are a few tips to help you establish consistent, meaningful quiet times that will help you grow stronger in your relationship with God. I also have put together a free devotional guide called Draw Near to Hear: A Guide to Help You Start a Daily Quiet Time with Jesus.

1. Set the Time and Place

Have a set time and place for your time with God. This greatly increases the chances of it actually happening. If you keep thinking “I’ll do that when I have time” you will probably never find the time. My favorite time is first thing in the morning, preferably before everyone else is up. Most days I seem to have more control over my time first thing in the morning. My quiet time place is a chair by the window in my bedroom.

2. Be Prepared and Have a Plan

Keep the things you will need close at hand. This will will keep you from wasting half of your time looking for things. Place all the things you will need in a basket or on a bookshelf near the place where you have your devotions. Right beside my chair is my stack of books. My resources include devotionals, my Bible, spiritual books, and my journal.

Having a plan for how you will spend your time helps you to be intentional and not be easily distracted.

I usually start with a short devotional book. I’ve used many through the years and I’ve found that I circle back through my favorites. Some of them feel like old friends. Check out this list of my favorite devotionals here.
Then I read from the Bible. Sometimes I research a topic and read scriptures related to that topic. Sometimes I review my notes from last Sunday’s sermon. Currently I’m on a plan to read through the Bible. It was suppose to take a year but at the rate I’m going it will probably take me closer to 2 years, but I’m okay with that. 🙂
Then I pray. I keep a list of people and things I want to pray for. My children and family are always at the top of the list.
I also keep a journal close by to write down anything that comes to mind or anything I believe the Lord is trying to bring to my attention as I read and pray.

3. Limit Distractions

Try to limit anything that keeps you from focusing or tries to steal your attention. Yes, I understand this isn’t always possible for a mom with little kids. Have grace with yourself. Perfection isn’t the goal. Progress is.

I’m very easily distracted. I have to shut my door and put my phone on silent. I wish I could play worship music on my phone while I have time with the Lord but it distracts me. And just having my phone near is a huge distraction for me.

4. Ask the Holy Spirit to Help You

In John 13 -17 Jesus was preparing His disciples for His coming departure. He says In John 14:26: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

Jesus has given us His precious Holy Spirit to help us. He guides us to the truth we need. He opens up the scriptures to us and helps us understand. He reminds us of God’s Word that is stored up in our heart. As you start your devotional time, ask the Holy Spirit to help you. He will.

5. Don’t Get Discouraged

We grow slow, like trees. We rarely see our growth all at once. Usually we can look back on the seasons of our life and see how we’ve grown, but moment by moment it’s hard to see any change.

I think of quiet times as a way to access the streams of living water God has promised to give us. It’s how I make my relationship with him a priority, not only in word, but also in deed.

There are many days I don’t feel anything or hear anything. This normal and good. If we are always searching for a feeling we can be easily lead astray by our emotions. But there have been times when I’ve needed to hear from God and He has spoken through a verse or as I was praying. But those are rare times, which, I think, make them more special.

I believe God longs to talk to us. We are His children. Quiet times give Him the opportunity to do that. Yes, He is able to speak to us any time. But there is something about getting alone, quieting our hearts and minds, and giving God our undivided attention. It gives us ears to hear what He is saying to us. It’s like tuning into a radio station. We may be able to hear somethings through the static of the world, but when we can dial into the right frequency we can understand so much more and there’s less room for error and confusion.

I can’t encourage you enough to start having a quiet times with Jesus today. And if you already do set aside time to speak to Him, don’t stop. Be faithful even when it feels like nothing is happening. You are growing in God, building up your spiritual strength by feeding on the bread of life and drinking in the water of His Holy Spirit. It’s seems small, maybe insignificant, but it’s very powerful.

God Bless!

If you found this article helpful and you’d like to say thanks, click here to buy Audrey a coffee.