Oswald Chambers
What is a “quiet time”?
“In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.” Mark 1:35, NASB
One thing that deepens my time in God's word, helping me to understand it better, is to look at the original language used. If you're spending time in the Old Testament, you will find it in Hebrew, and if in the New Testament, in Greek. Let's look at some of the Greek words in Mark 1:35 (the online source I use is Blue Letter Bible: http://www.blueletterbible.org/):
"early morning" = Gk: prōï- the fourth watch of the night, from 3 o'clock in the morning until 6 o'clock approximately
"still" = Gk: lian- very, extremely, exceedingly, greatly
"dark" = Gk: ennychos- nightly, nocturnal, a great while before day
"got up" = Gk: anistēmi- to raise up from lying down; of those who leave a place to go elsewhere
"secluded" = Gk: erēmos- solitary, lonely, desolate, uninhabited; a desert, a wilderness
Observations gathered from this verse and the original Greek words:
*Jesus chose a time when he would be by himself.
*This was the first thing that he did in the morning.
*It was a priority.
*He chose a place where he would be uninterrupted, with no distractions.
*He went someplace else (removed himself from daily distractions and people).
*He spent time with God in prayer.
A quiet time is simply a time to be alone with God without distractions, praying and talking to Him.
Why is it important?
Consider this: If Jesus, the Son of God, made spending solitary time alone with God a priority, how much more should we? Look up the following passages and note the benefits of spending time with God.
· Jeremiah 33:3
Benefits: a promise: God will answer us when we call; he will tell us great and hidden things we don't know.
· Mark 4:34
Benefits: God explains things to us privately.
· John 14:21
Benefits: We experience God's love; we learn how to honor, love and obey God.
· John 15:5
Benefits: We will bear fruit; apart from Him we can do nothing.
· Mark 6:31
Benefits: Rest
· Psalm 1:2-3
Benefits: We bear fruit; when harsh circumstances come, we won't wither; we will prosper.
· Joshua 1:8
Benefits: We will be prosperous and successful.
· 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Benefits:Teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness; we will be complete and equipped for good works.
· Psalm 19:7-11
| Psalm 19:7-11 | God’s Word is: | The Benefits are: |
| 7 | Perfect, sure | Revives the soul; makes wise the simple |
| 8 | Right, pure | Rejoices the heart; enlightens the eyes |
| 9 | True, righteous |
|
| 10 | Desired, sweet |
|
| 11 |
| Warning, reward |
How do I have one?
o A basic quiet time includes:
§ Reading God’s word (this may also include resources, cross references, etc)- God communicating with us
§ Prayer- us communicating with God. Talking to him, but also being still and listening for Him to respond.
§ Reflect/journal
§ Application. Make sure your application is SMART:
Specific (details)
Measurable (you know whether or not you have done it)
Attainable (you can actually do it. i.e. a non-attainable application is "to
win the lottery to give to the poor")
Realistic (don't set the bar too high or too low)
Timely (accomplish it in a reasonable time frame)
o Other ideas to incorporate in (but not substitute for) your quiet time:
§ Go on a prayer walk
§ Listen to worship music
§ Write out what you have to be thankful for
§ Write out an "impossible prayer list" and keep track of prayers/answered prayers
§ Review scripture memory
o Helpful recommendations:
§ When? In the morning. This is the best way to start your day- it sets the pace for the whole day and gives you an opportunity to apply what you learned. It is also less likely to get squeezed out by other things. Make it a priority. See Psalm 5:3.
§ Where? Somewhere quiet and secluded, without distractions (this means away from people and your computer). If you get distracted by thinking of all the other things you need to do, keep a "to-do list" with you and jot it down. It will get done! Also, have a flat surface for writing.
§ How long? This may vary. Start out small: plan to spend 10-15 minutes in the Word, prayer, and journaling (do this for a couple weeks). After you get in the habit of having regular quiet times, increase the duration! Try spending 20-30 minutes in your quiet time. Increase it again: try 30-45 minutes, etc as time allows.
§ How often? Again, this may vary. Start out small: commit to spending 3 mornings having a quiet time. Your ultimate goal should be to spend daily time alone with God. Another goal further down the road once you have succeeded in spending daily time alone with God might be to plan a weekly extended time alone with God (ExtawG), which is just a 2+ hour quiet time.
o Helpful questions to guide your time:
§ What does this passage/verse say about who God is?
§ What does this passage/verse say about who I am?
§ How would I live differently if I really believed this was true?
This model is called "Look, Listen, Live it Out." It breaks your quiet time down into three parts: Look (read), listen (pray/reflect) and live it out (response/application).
Look: Read through the passage and write down the verse that stands out most to you.
Listen: Quiet your mind and pray and ask God why the verse you chose stood out from the others. Write out your observations and questions, sharing your thoughts with God. Slow down and read each word, consider what God is communicating and journal your reflections.
Live it Out: Now it’s time for application. James 1:22-24 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” Ask the Lord what difference this should make in your life. How does He want you to apply it? Don’t forget to make your application SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.
Go ahead! Have a quiet time! A great place to start is in the Psalms (some of my favorites: 1, 16, 23, 32, 34, 42, 51, 63, 73, 84, 91, 103, 116, and 139). Then read a book: a good place to start is in Colossians, and then read the Gospel of John.
Make a plan!! Know where you are and where you're going in your time with the Lord. Here are some Bible reading plans to help you:
Read through the whole Bible in a year, chronologically: http://www.esv.org/assets/pdfs/rp.chronological.pdf
Read through the whole Bible in three years: http://www.zondervan.com/m/readingplans/3yrGddTour_af_cms.pdfOther reading plans:
http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf
Choose your own at Zondervan: http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Product/Bible/Plans.htm?QueryStringSite=Zondervan
