3 Reasons to Prioritize Quiet Time, Even When Life Is Loud
- Sarah Frazer Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
- Updated Aug 18, 2021
Don’t get me wrong, I love a quiet house. With five kids, ages thirteen to six, my house is rarely quiet. Once a month my husband takes the kids out for me and leaves me to work alone at the house. It is just for a few short hours, but I love that time when the loudest sound I hear is the fan running.
Most days I don’t get to have a “quiet time” with God. I used to be one of those moms who would get up early and read their Bible before the kids woke up, but lately my kids have decided they will wake up anytime I wake up.
Maybe it’s the coffee brewing, but they have this innate sense that mom is up--so they get up. This makes it hard for me to have a “quiet” time with God.
Does that mean I will only read my Bible that once-a-month time everyone leaves the house? No way! It would be like eating one meal a month. God’s Word is needed for daily consumption. I’ve had to be creative with my Bible reading and prayer time because I can’t go more than a day without consuming God’s Word. It wasn’t always like that, though.
For many years I used this as an excuse for not reading or praying. I would say, “when….” And fill in the blank. When my kids were older, when they would lay down for a nap, when I wasn’t so busy with my job or activities at church…
There are a million excuses, but the one I used the most was “My house just isn’t quiet.” I don’t know when it dawned on me, but one day I realized my house would be loud for a very long time. I couldn’t wait until my kids were grown and out of the house before I sought out a relationship with God.
When Life Is Loud
Over the course of the past ten years or so I’ve done various things when it comes to Bible reading and prayer. I’ve tried it all, so to speak.
Over this period of time, I’ve realized there are lots of ways we can read God’s word and have time with Him, even if our lives are “loud.” I’ll share some tips and tricks at the end of the article. But why it is so important to keep having “quiet time”? Just because something is hard doesn’t make it impossible. I’ve realized that “quiet time” doesn’t always have to be quiet--and sometimes it just isn’t.
Quiet time with God simply means reading our Bible and praying. We often think it has to be more complicated than that. It doesn’t have to be. God is good to meet us where we are. No matter if you’ve studied the Bible for a few years or just a few days, you can start today--no matter how the noise level is at in your home.
We still need to have time with God, and just because it doesn’t look like the pictures on Instagram, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pursue it. Why? Let me give you three reasons why having a quiet time is vital to your life.
1. God Is Waiting
God is ready and willing to meet you here, friend. God has not moved, but sometimes we do.
We’ve let guilt and shame pull us away from all the good He has planned for us. The pages of His Word are not magic formulas. They won’t automatically make you feel a certain way, but they will change your relationship with God.
As you read and study and pray, God will meet you and through the power of His Holy Spirit you will gain a deeper relationship with Him. Do you want to know God better? Do you want to understand what His plan is for your life? If so, read the Bible!
God wants more than anything to give you Himself, because He knows that is what you need. God is waiting to meet us. Let’s not put it off because life is busy and loud.
We can still read His word, even if others are talking. We can get in a corner of the house. Shut the door to your bedroom or go outside on the porch. Open up your Bible and let God meet you right there. You will discover truth and that truth can transform your thinking
2. Growth Will Happen
Don’t think you can read God’s Word and not be changed. Many have said it is like a mirror. It shows us what we are really like and then offers us a new way of living.
Do you feel convicted when you read the Bible? Good! Use that to run to God. He is ready to forgive and restore your life. If you want to make changes, read your Bible. It won’t change you overnight, but it really will make a difference in your attitude.
I’ve found a daily reading of God’s Word doesn’t affect how I feel. If it has been a few days, and I’ve not read, my heart is weary and I’m easily distracted. I might even snap at those around me.
God has used His Word on many occasions to convict my heart, but there is always grace too. If you want to see growth in your Christian life, we cannot neglect daily Bible reading. Sometimes we struggle with consistency because we forget the end goal. The end goal is not to check list something off of our to-do list.
The end goal is to become like Christ. How will we know how to be like Christ? We must read our Bible!
3. Prayer Changes Things
Over the course of the past six years specifically I’ve seen God change things in my life due directly to prayer. I am a firm believer in prayer and that it truly does work!
God commands us to pray, God equips us to prayer, and God listens to use when we pray. Just because you might have to sit in your car or run to the bathroom to pray, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it!
The beautiful thing about prayer is you can do it anytime! God can listen to your cries for help while you fold laundry, put away clean dishes, or even while you walk the dog. God listens and prayer makes a difference in our own lives and the lives of others.
Do you long for God to answer your prayers? Try writing them down. Keep them n a place you can reference throughout your day. You might not have two quiet hours to devote to pray, but you can pray all throughout your busy day.
You can pray for 15 minutes or 5 minutes. Those minutes add up! Once again you don’t have to have a quiet house to pray.
Slow and Steady
Here are some practical steps to take….
- Get some earphones.
- Invest in some soothing, encouraging Christian music.
- Decide which part of your day will be your quiet time.
- Do it. Don’t do something else… choose the quiet.
- Devote some of that time to spend in prayer and Bible reading.
Keep going friend. Developing a bible reading habit takes time and effort. It takes a special kind of discipline to read your Bible when life is crazy.
If your house is loud and noisy, it might be worth it to get some earphones or dedicate a time/place to read if you really do need it to be quit for a few minutes. Your household might watch little T.V. Or engage in a special cavity for a few minutes while you sneak away into your bedroom.
Related Resource: Check out our FREE Bible Study podcast, How to Study the Bible! Available at LifeAudio.com. Listen to the first episode here by clicking the play button below:
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/YakobchukOlena
