The Quiet Time

by Edwin Neely, Brantford, Ontario | Category: Contemporary Issues In Christian Life | Jul 1980

Most readers of Needed Truth will not need to be convinced that a daily time alone with God is vital for successful Christian living. But it is one thing to know this, another to use it, and still another to use it to best advantage. A more dedicated application of ourselves to this daily devotional period may be the necessary ingredient for greater victory in both our individual and collective living. This article shares a few thoughts about establishing a time and using it wisely.

You live in a world that is no friend to the One you serve. Nor will this world feed you with the food necessary for you to thrive on your heavenly journey. Your walk demands fellowship with God, a communion of your heart with His, a quiet listening to His tender voice. So, the need for the Quiet Time. Use the Lord Jesus as your example:

"The Lord GOD hath given Me the tongue of them that are taught, that

I should know how to sustain with words him that is weary: He

wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth Mine ear to hear..."

(Isa. 50:4).

"Them that honour Me," says He, "I will honour."

Morning, before the clutter of the day encroaches on us, may be the best time, but whether then or another time, do fix a time when you can be unhurried and alone. Prayerfully commit this time to God and then consider it the most important of all daily appointments. Find a quiet place where you can pursue your devotions without interruption. You will need a few moments to begin with to quieten your spirit and to develop a sense of expectancy, to discipline your mind, and to avoid preoccupation with self. Expect to delight yourself in the Lord. Expect to pray and have your prayers answered, and expect to receive a gem from the Word of God. This will not be done in a spirit of hurry or worry. Do not use this devotional time to prepare for meeting or Sunday School. Quiet Time is not for task preparation or education; it is for feasting upon the Lord. Prepare your heart for it. Do not hurry through it. The busier you are, the more you need it (Eccles. 9:10).

Begin your time in prayer. Not just a reciting of things that you need, but a confession of your sins, your weaknesses, your problems. Purge yourself of these things. Then give yourself to thanksgiving, not only for things, but for Christ and all that He means to you. Next there will be others and their problems to lay before the Lord. Then your own needs may occupy your

prayer. When Job prayed for his friends, God turned his captivity and began to give him more than he had ever had before.

Bible reading is next. Read according to a plan - not too much at any one time - maybe a dozen verses or a short chapter, but read it through two or three times to help it settle in your mind and heart. Use the Scriptures alone in your quiet time. Meditate on the word itself. Commentaries and helps have their place, but at some other time. Jot down short notes, a recall help for other times, perhaps including from your portion one sin to be forsaken, a promise to be claimed, a special revelation of some facet of the character of Christ, an example to be followed, a commandment to be obeyed, or a pitfall to be avoided. Ask yourself just what this reading can do for you today, and then see how the Spirit of God brings it to mind in the busy hours that follow.

There are a few additional practical aids which you might find helpful. Do all in your power to preserve the time without interruption. Don't do all the talking - listen. Don't try to crowd in too much reading. Do give yourself at least twenty minutes, and more if possible, but quality is better than quantity. If you have to miss a day, don't feel that the whole day is wasted. Confess your failure to keep the appointment, and get back on track as soon as possible. Don't skip the Lord's Day, even though you will be spending much of it in spiritual pursuits. Work for the Lord does not replace sitting at His feet, as we need to learn, as did Martha.

Finally, commit your day to the Lord, to guide you through it and to use it and to use you to glorify Himself. It will not be long before you begin to reap the harvest of your Quiet Time. And this is a reaping the results of which will go on throughout eternity.

"Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;

Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone.

By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;

Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;

And run not before Him, whatever betide;

In joy or in sorrow still follow thy Lord,

And looking to Jesus, still trust in His word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,

Each thought and each temper beneath His control.

Thus led by His Spirit and filled with His love

Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above".