I wake up at 5.30 am and in the quiet and darkness move to the kitchen to make my cup of tea. With my Bible and journal, I settle in a corner of the sofa in our living room. This has been my routine for a few years now. Being still before God before the noise and rush of the day kicks in - this is my quiet time. Reading/studying the Bible, noting down my takeaways, and praying to God with a prayer list or as God leads, fill my quiet time.
Adding creativity to this routine helps me keep this time with Jesus consistent.
Each day I start the day by writing down one thing I am thankful for. Why just one you may ask? Being intentional in looking for varied things to thank God keeps me in a state of gratitude through the day and night. It helps me thank God ‘in’ everything!
Let me give you a few examples:
Thank you, Lord, for today’s message at church which reminded me that you are love (John 4:8).
Thank you, Jesus for Nivin’s laughter, so pure, honest and true.
Thank you, Lord for the Agapanthus that is blooming in the garden, reminding us of your creativity.
I connected with Eunice after 40 years today, thank you Lord for friends.
If you do this over a whole year, on 31st December you will have your own journal of praise with 365 praise points!
Talking to God about everything is the best part of our quiet time. A quote I read recently comes to mind.
"Burden God with your burdens" or as the Bible says "Cast your cares on God." (1 Peter 5:7)
When we lived in India, I used to love my quiet times on the balcony of our first floor flat. Sometimes I walked on the terrace or sat on the bed.
At times, I move to another corner of our house by a window, sometimes I walk to the green reserve nearby to talk to God. A couple of times I met with God at a café. One day I felt very down. It was during the COVID, when a few cafes in New Zealand had opened but travel restrictions were still in place and we could not travel to meet family overseas.
I ordered a small cappuccino and a mini cupcake and sat in a quiet corner of the mall café. I pulled out my Bible and read through Psalm 23, and 91. By the time I finished I felt God’s power, sovereignty and love wash over me. I poured out my heart to God for the rest of the time as I sipped the coffee.
As we meet and chat with friends we can meet and talk to Jesus.
Some books which have enriched my time with God.
If you have not joined a Bible study group to study God’s Word, I would encourage you to do that now. If your church runs study groups that would be a good start. Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) is a safe, joyful place to study God’s word and make godly friends.
A family can study together by enrolling in BSF. Your two-year-old, teen and your spouse can all learn the same passage of the Bible at the same time. It was such a blessing to study the Bible alongside my then school-aged sons in India. I then continued BSF studies in NZ and was trained to lead as well.
You can find more Bible studies in the Tirzah website’s book store as well. You can download the studies as a group of friends, do the study on your own and then meet up once a week to discuss/ share
It is my prayer that you will find what works for you and add it to your quiet time routine as you enjoy your daily time with your maker and Creator!
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
I love the writing your “thank you’s” to Jesus! I’m on my second year of a 5 year, 5 line prayer journal and it’s so cool to reflect on what God has done!