How To Have A Quiet Time, Part I

Developing spiritual maturity is essential for maintaining a healthy Christian life. If you are not spiritually growing, you are not being transformed into the image of Christ. Thankfully, sanctification is not something God waits to work into our busy schedules, as the trails of a typical day themselves test our patience and stretch our faith. There are some things that we can do, however, that will also work toward strengthening our faith, increasing our love for God and fostering a greater hatred for sin, namely, the spiritual disciplines. In particular, I would like to emphasize the importance of having a daily time of personal worship.

Commonly called a "quiet time" or "personal devotions," personal worship is an oft-neglected area of spiritual discipline, and yet, is one of the best means of spiritual maturity. Spending time in prayer and reading God's Word are the meat and potatoes for daily Christian life. Far too many Christians fail to make time each day, and consequently, are spiritually starved.

Typically, when someone things of personal devotions, they think of prayer, reading the Bible, a time of quiet meditation, and perhaps singing. Additionally, the idea is that it is personal, and so you are alone and surrounded by as few distractions as possible. There is no secret ingredient or element: simply hearing God's will through studying Scripture and offering up praise and petition though song and prayer.

The Benefits of a Quiet Time

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
-Psalm 1

Psalm 1 is one of my favorite passages of the Bible because it clearly lays out the benefits of having a quiet time. The Psalmist contrasts two ways of life: the way of the righteous, and the way of the wicked. You will noticed that the righteous man is blessed because he does not walk in the ways of the wicked. Rather than delighting in their ways, he finds his delight in the Law of the Lord, in Scripture. We see his delight in how he meditates on it "day and night." The Psalmist then compares him to a tree that is planted next to a stream. Clearly trees need water to thrive and thus the one planted next to a stream or river will have an abundance. Its roots will go down deep, which not only ensures nourishment for the tree, but will also hold the tree in the ground when storms come and winds gust. Firmly held in place and steadily consuming nutrients, the tree will be healthy and produce fruit. Contrasted with this is the plight of the wicked, who are described as bits of chaff that are tossed about by the wind. They have nothing to hold them to the ground. Ultimately, the Psalmist notes that the wicked will perish.

Psalm 1 clearly describes the benefits of being righteous and delighting in the Word of God. It is, however, important to note that he is not a righteous man because he delights in God's Word. Rather, delighting in God's Word is what the righteous do. In the pursuit of godliness, it is easy to fall into phariseeism. Having a three-hour quiet time every day will not make you holy. The Holy Spirit is he who sanctifies us and purifies us. Of ourselves, we can achieve nothing.

For the rest of this week, I am going to share some suggestions that I hope will either make the most of your quiet time, or help you start having one. I will also share some warnings and any other additional words of advice. To my readers who are having regular quiet times, please feel free to share what you have found works for you, and any resources or study methods that you have benefited from.