This message is brought to you by the letter K, as in Kara with a K.
I saw her comment late last night as we were coming home and I thought, “I should probably address some of that”. Interestingly, Kara said that she had to wait for Quiet Times: What I Did Not Believe About Them – Part 3, that is because I was teaching on it earlier this week, at my house.
There is no better atmosphere than someone’s home and I love to host anything. This does meant that, although I like to think that I am superwoman, I can’t seem to do everything. This is a frequent source of frustration for me. So, Part 3 showed up yesterday.
As I was presenting on this Tuesday night, I had some of the same discussions that Kara brought up in her comment. My quiet time, what is it really like?
This is a question that I will ask of anyone. I love to hear how people spend time with the Lord. I love to hear how people enrich any relationship, from husband to family. Some people journal and their quiet times revolve around these amazing records of time spent with Christ. I will be honest. I would love to be one of those people, but I am not. I am a periodic prayer journaler.
I would love to say that I am a patient prayer warrior. I am not that, either. Prayer is a skill that I have desired to learn. It differs from journaling because prayer is a cornerstone in this relationship. In fact, the two things I know must be done in quiet are scripture and prayer. If I complete these, I am happy. Anything else is icing on the cake, including all bible studies and devotional material.
I am often a distracted pray-er. I have found that when my brain refuses to cooperate, standing and praying, out loud, does wonders. It is also biblical. It helps my focus and makes it wonderfully worshipful. So, there is a bonus for the effort.
When I say the word quiet, I am fully aware that silence is a privilege for many. When there are children running around and the word “Mom” is repeated twelve times a minute, silence may never occur. On Tuesday, we talked about quiet as creating space for the Holy Spirit. There are many life stages that require us to be flexible enough to seize the time when it rears its head. This may include locking oneself in the bathroom for ten minutes, while someone else watches the kids.
The most important element of a quiet time is consistency. I do not say this to shame anyone who misses a quiet time. If I miss a day, it will be Sunday. It is just a day unlike others for me with church and the many obligations that we have there. It is, also, date day with my husband. I do not feel guilty about missing this day, when it does happen.
Have you noticed that this type of guilt will make you shy about approaching Him again? I urge anyone to think of the source of that guilt. God is gentle when He disciplines, He does not push away or shame.
So to answer your question, Kara, I am currently following a year reading plan. Specifically, I am reading one that schedules OT, Psalms, Proverbs and NT every day. The variety really helps keep up the momentum.
I am going to finish it early, and I don’t know whether I will start it again, immediately, or go where the Spirit leads for a while. I have done both. I love a year plan because we really need to know these books, and it is doable with a little discipline. We are preparing for our hope of salvation based on what we find, cover to cover. That is a great reason to become familiar with the text.
A woman on Tuesday said something interesting to me. She explained that when she did not have a plan, she tended to go to the familiar so she never got around to reading the whole book. I think this is true of everyone. We move toward what we know.
Thank you so much, Kara, for asking this. I anyone has quiet time tips, please share. It is a great way to help sisters along.
About Tracy
I never really thought of making my yearly reading plan part of my quiet time. I was doing it separately. My brain. It is slow sometimes
I use to have such a preconceived notion of what quite time was and was not. After a while I realized it was just spending time with Him. Specific set aside time. Just for Him. Just as I would do for a friend. Now my often varies. Sometimes it is prayer and worship. Sometimes prayer and the Word. Sometimes prayer and study. I am not one to do things on a set schedule like on Monday I pray and worship etc…..I just go as my heart needs. He always knows 
Thanks for this series Tracy. It has challenged me so much. I <3 You my friend!
That is wonderfully flexible of you. This truly makes it about relationship and I love that. To talk to Him in different ways, on different days, challenges me. I love adding worship into my quiet times, but I usually am led to one song or specific message. I am not that proactive. Thanks for sharing this.
I have always closely guarded my quiet times. Early in the morning with coffee in one hand, bible and pen in the other and my prayer journal right beside me. Then I got married and my husband really likes to talk in the mornings, so it is not as quiet anymore – but I am learning to appreciate that instead of get irritated. Though, I have been known to go hang out in my closet for a little while
But the other day my pastor told me something that completely caught me off guard – He told me that I don’t HAVE to have those times in the morning, every morning, to be close to God. He told me on those mornings that kids or husband or responsibilities get in the way, all I need to do is gaze upon the cross and remember Christ’s sacrifice for me – to, in essence, preach the gospel to myself and dwell there for a moment. It amazed me to hear a pastor say that.
After a short period of absolute astonishment and some slight panic, I got what he was saying – He wanted me to know that was not my only connection to God and that if I couldn’t have that time then I wouldn’t connect with Him that day. I don’t think I will ever forget that, but I am still guarding my morning time with the One I love. (Sorry to write a book). Love your blog, Tracy. And your heart.
Oh please, write a book.
That is so valuable because we all have those days that we know our QT is going to be short. Simply taking that moment to see the cross is a wonderful practice. I love how you said, “preach the gospel to myself”. Thanks, Chrystie.
Well now, I am so glad I asked!!
I have been reading through the bible in a year (early on this year I thought I would accomplish it twice this year, but I have since revamped it to be the NT 2X and the OT just 1X), but I found myself reading just to read it through, without savoring it, without meditating on it the rest of my day. I started out calling it quiet time and it really was just the reading time. So, like your friend on Tuesday night, I went back to familiar, reading passages that I have read time and time again. But I want to have the passion to study the whole of the word of God and not make it a reading assignment I don’t engage my soul, mind and spirit into.
I have been one of those people who feels guilty over missing a day of quiet time and that guilt has kept me from coming back to God at times. It’s really a silly mental thing when you think about it, but I have been known to do it, more than once.
I have SO enjoyed this series (as I think you already know), and I think I’ve said this in every comment, but it is truly inspiring.
Thank you for taking the time to answer me (and make it into a whole post at that!!). And it is encouraging that someone else is not the best prayer journaler. Oh how I’ve tried to keep up that discipline, to no avail.
The bible in a year can be hard. I try to leave room to visit passages that I feel especially led to, separately. Sometimes I dream about places to go. It can really be a struggle, but there is so much joy in finding the nuggets amidst the names (think Numbers).
That guilt is so deceiving. I know what you mean. It keeps us from boldly going to the throne. That is why I say, it is not from God. He would never shame us from Him in that way. In my head, yes, but not from God.
I am so glad that you have enjoyed this. I always learn so much from studying a topic. Blessings to you.
I am so behind on checking blogs. A bit busy lately, but loving it
I love your new layout. Blessings, Amy
Tracy, wonderful thoughts! I, too, like to hear about what others are doing for their quiet time.
So sorry I have missed your posts lately. Since you switched to wordpress, it hasn’t been updating your posts on my blog. At one point I tried to access your blog, but wasn’t able to. I will make the corrections to the address and hopefully that will help solve the problem.
I’ve been missing your posts, so I am happy I will be able to read them again.