What Is Quiet Time?

Quiet time? What is that? I’m sure that is a question almost every mother asks daily. In today’s noisy world, it usually takes a complete power outage for people to recognize what quiet means. However, it’s not just the outside world. Our minds are also hard to quiet with all of the tasks and obligations to remember, not to mention all of the negative self-talk and anxieties floating around. Although most people say they need it, even crave it, they also have no idea how to achieve it. While just a moment of peace and quiet is necessary to calm us physically, we also need quiet time with God to restore us spiritually.

Let’s look closer at what it means to have a quiet time.

What Does It Mean to Have Quiet Time with God?

Quiet time with God is like a date night for a married couple, only on a daily basis. It is taking time to be alone with God and communicate.

Like all communication, it has two parts: speaking and listening. This is how you cultivate a relationship by spending time with one another and sharing your hopes, dreams, worries, and anxieties. Most of us understand how to do that with another human being, but how do you cultivate a relationship with God?

We speak to God through prayer, but how does God speak? He speaks through His Word, the Bible. He also speaks through the Holy Spirit that lives within us. The Holy Spirit sometimes speaks in a still small voice when we need encouragement. Sometimes He speaks to us through sermons, songs, or devotionals. We must position ourselves to recognize His voice and listen to what He has to say. In other words, we have to get quiet so we can hear.

Quiet time is usually made up of Bible reading, perhaps a devotional or Bible study book, and prayer. Since communication with God is a two-way street, we must give God equal time to speak by waiting in silence, away from electronics, television, and family. Find a quiet spot so that you can soak it into your spirit. We need these moments of quiet and stillness before God to prepare our hearts and to seek His Will for the day ahead. For more information on the importance of quiet time, read “Why Is It So Important to Have a Quiet Time with the Lord?” by Vivian Bricker.

Do We See People Having Quiet Time with God in the Bible?

While the phrase “quiet time” is not found in the Bible, the concept of taking time to commune with God through prayer and meditating on the scriptures is found throughout the Old Testament. For example, Daniel 6:10 gives us an insight into his daily practice of prayer:

“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.”

King David is known for his contribution to Psalms, where he captured his prayers and laments to God in his own quiet time. He declared that all his expectations came from God (Psalm 62:5), that he meditated in the law day and night (Psalm 1:2), and that he would look up and pray in the morning (Psalm 5:1-3).

Our greatest example, though, comes from Jesus Himself, who “often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed” (Luke 5:16). Throughout the gospels, we find him seeking time alone for prayer:

“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” (Mark 1:35)

Another example can be found in Matthew 14:23, “And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.”

The Apostle Paul reinforced this practice by starting most of his letters to the churches with prayers as well as encouragement for them to pray for each other. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

If quiet time is so important, why do people sometimes avoid it? The following excerpt shines some light on the issue.

Why Do People Avoid Quiet Time with God?

Adrian Rogers offers the following perspective on how our sins can affect our quiet time with God:

“Do you know what quiet time is? It is fellowship with a holy God. The reason that some people do not have a quiet time is that they feel uncomfortable. They don’t want to look God in the face because there is unconfessed, unrepented sin in their life.

What did Adam do after he sinned and God came walking in the Garden? Adam fled. Before that, Adam had quiet time alone with God, didn’t he? They conversed, they communed. It was paradise. But when Adam sinned, he did not want to look God in the face.

When Moses went into God’s presence, God said, ‘Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover, He said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.’ God cannot be in the presence of sin because He is holy.

If you find a reluctance to go into the presence of God, there may be unconfessed, unrepented sin in your life. Part of your quiet time is to get your heart clean and pure. Each of us needs to take ourselves by the nap of our necks and confess and repent before we come into God’s holy presence to fellowship. Psalm 66 verse 18 says, ‘If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.’”

(“What Is a Quiet Time?” By Adrian Rogers. © 2006 Love Worth Finding Ministries.)

How to Start Having a Quiet Time with God

Having a quiet time with God doesn’t follow any set rules. “How to Begin a Daily Quiet Time in 5 Easy Steps” by Ron Edmonson is a great place to start. All you need is a few minutes alone, preferably with your Bible. A devotional book or Bible study might also be useful in helping you to deepen your study of God’s Word or give some fresh insights into familiar texts. But, in the end, the real point of quiet time is to be alone with God and listen. He speaks through the Bible, but He also speaks through the Holy Spirit directly to our spirit. Another great Rogers article, “How to Have a Meaningful Quiet Time,” gives some insights into taking quiet time to a new level, but start where you are.

Find a quiet spot alone, grab your Bible, and open your heart to God. He is waiting to hear from you, and He has so much He wants to share with you if you are willing to listen.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Grace Cary 

Linda Lyle is a writer, teacher, knitter, and unintentional collector of cats. She has written articles for the Alabama Baptist, Open Windows, Refresh, as well as multiple novels and novellas. Her newest book, 5-Minute Prayer Plan for When Life Is Overwhelming, is set to release in October. She spins yarns on her blog The End of My Yarn at lindalyle.com.