Becoming a follower of Jesus is the greatest gift anyone can ever receive, and nothing can top that. However, many Christians may think that believing in Jesus is where their relationship with God begins and ends.
The Lord wants an intimate relationship with you — and what’s needed to develop your relationship with Him is not that different from the essential ingredients needed for successful relationships with people: time, effort, communication, and shared experiences.
Essential Ingredients to Grow Your Relationship with God
Spending daily quiet time in God’s Word and in prayer are essential ingredients to growing your relationship with Him, yet so many of us struggle to do either consistently. Perhaps it’s because we’re unsure what consists of a “successful” time with God, wondering if we need to feel peace, have a spiritual experience, or receive a clear message from the Lord. That’s not what happens every time, and that’s okay.
Having a daily quiet time is not an end in itself; rather, it’s just a tool to help you develop and deepen your relationship with God.
In Mark 1:35, Jesus gave us a great example:
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (NIV).
He chose a time, a place, and made a plan to pray.
TIME – Choose a time of day when you can give your full attention to God, even if it’s just five minutes. Maybe it’s mornings, lunch, or before bed. Consistency is key, so pick a routine you can stick with.
PLACE – Find a spot where you can tune out the noise and be free from distractions. For Jesus, this was “a solitary place.” For you, it might be your room, your car on lunch break, or a park bench when the weather is nice.
PLAN – Before you start, decide what you’ll focus on. Choose what Bible passage(s) you’ll read and what else you might do, such as meditating on Scripture, allowing the Holy Spirit speak to you. Then, journal your reflections. Having a plan means spending less time figuring out what to do and spending more time with God.
After coming up with a plan, the next step is to learn how to structure your daily quiet time.
Daily Quiet Time Outline
As disciples of Jesus, we are called to drink Living Water (John 7:37-29), and to “not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 8:3 and Matthew 4:4)
One way to feast on God’s Word is by “having a spiritual sandwich.” With the “bread” being prayer (first and last) and the “meat” being Scripture (middle), we can be nourished daily by the Lord and His truth in the Bible.
Here’s how you can taste and see that the Lord is good by eating a “spiritual sandwich” with this daily quiet time outline:
PRAYER – “BREAD”
To start off your quiet time, use the ACTS Prayer Model for prayer. Focus your time by beginning with just A and C, as you’ll move on to T and S later on.
A – Adoration. Begin with praising God, adoring Him for who He is, His Holiness, and making Him the focus of your worship and exaltation.
C – Confession. Confess any sins that you have not already confessed to Him.
1 John 1:9 declares, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (NIV).
GOD’S WORD – “MEAT”
If you are feeling stuck in your Bible reading during your daily quiet time, try the ABC Bible Reading Method.
Ask questions about what you are reading. Here are some ideas:
- Who is saying this? To whom?Why?
- What was the writer’s intent in saying this to his original audience?
- What was that audience thinking?
- What is the main point in this passage?
- What can I apply to my life today from this passage?
- What is God saying to me here?
Best Verse – Look for one verse in the passage that narrows your focus on the big lesson or truth God is revealing to you.
As you go through your day, try to return to that “best verse,” perhaps rereading it again, or just taking a few seconds to talk with God about it. Then, listen. Often, the Holy Spirit will bring it to mind in the middle of an unexpected situation and how it can apply.
Commit. Choose one area of your life — or some part of your upcoming day — that you can commit to God. It might be a sales call, presentation, test, or a meeting with a particular person. What is it about your “best verse” that resonates with your life? Commit that to God.
Sometimes what we commit to God is an attitude of the heart: “Today, Lord, I trust You with this.” Or, it’s a specific action we should take: “Yes, Lord, I will go to her and ask her forgiveness.”
PRAYER – “BREAD”
Now, use the ACTS guideline to pray again, this time focusing on the T and S.
T – Thanksgiving. Thank God for what He spoke to you. Thank Him for your “best verse” and for the truth or lesson that He revealed to you. This is also a good time to thank Him for any other blessings in life.
S – Supplication. To “supplicate” is to ask, so this is time you can use to ask God for anything you need. You might ask Him for His help with your latest project, for patience with your coworker, or for eyes to see your day the way the Lord sees it. Trust God’s sovereignty, including His timing and will for your life.
This completes your spiritual sandwich and is the end of your daily quiet time outline. Whether the idea of having a daily quiet time is brand new for you or a spiritual discipline you practice regularly, following these simple steps with these essential ingredients will help you keep your quiet times focused and meaningful, and spiritually nourished on Jesus and God’s Word, “the bread of life.” (John 6:35)
Download a print friendly PDF of the How to Have a Daily Quiet Time resource to pass along. Navigators Discipleship Tools are designed for sharing with your Bible study, church groups, and those you are discipling.
Daily Quiet Time FAQ
Where in the Bible should I start my quiet time?
If the idea of having a daily quiet time is new for you, here are a few suggestions:
Pick a Bible reading plan and read through the entire Bible.
Choose one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) for your daily quiet time. Decide to read a chapter or a story a day. If you like action, start with the gospel of Mark. If you like a lot of deep truths, start with John. If you like more details, read Luke or Matthew.
Read through Acts, which is the story of Christ’s followers after He died, was resurrected, and ascended to heaven.
How long should my quiet time be?
There is no “correct” length of time for a quiet time.
Different seasons of life may impact your daily quiet time. Allow yourself to be flexible as your daily quiet time may fluctuate throughout these seasons.
Start with 7 minutes with God each day. After a few days, try 15 to 20 minutes, and gradually increase the length of time as you feel led by the Holy Spirit. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself looking forward to spending precious time with Him!
Try to find pockets of time throughout your day that are conducive to having a quiet time (e.g. early morning before work, during your commute via train or subway, during your lunch break, etc.)
What if my quiet times are boring?
We have all had some (admittedly) boring quiet times. The reality is that most relationships, even if they start out full of excitement, newness, and maybe even passion, will settle down into a sort of “everydayness.”
It is the same in our relationship with God. We grow more comfortable in knowing Him and in being known by Him. When you are feeling a little bored in your quiet time, remind yourself of Psalm 16:11 and of the truth that just being with God is wonderful and brings joy, even if He has nothing brand new to tell you. Simply being with God is more than enough.
What if I am just too busy for quiet time?
We all have busy days and busy seasons of life. All of us have had days that started off too late — or too early — when we were barely able to whisper a prayer to God, let alone have a quiet time with Him. Don’t beat yourself up over it. With a little bit of desire and effort, you will usually be able to find time for your daily quiet time.
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