I once read of a Christian who met a persecuted Christian and asked him: “How do you do that, ‘quiet time’ ?”
And that persecuted Christian then said: “When I was in prison, I read my Bible completely, in 17 days, and when I was released from prison, I promised God that from that moment on, I would spend an hour every day of my time with Him. I Would take time to read the Bible and pray daily. But it didn’t take very long before I stopped doing it.”
Let’s face it, isn’t it exactly the same for many of us?
We want to, but at a certain moment something happens that we give priority, and then the silent time is shortened a little, and a little later again a bit shorter, then it is skipped once, and so at the end there is no more silent time.
A question I’ve heard a lot is: “What is the secret of quiet time?”
I was also regularly asked for tips …
You know, of course, I could have filled my life with all kinds of tips.
▪︎ 5 tips to spend your quiet time in the morning.
▪︎ 5 tips to take good care of yourself spiritually.
▪︎ 5 tips on how to read your Bible.
And so on.
I know many have done so, and are earning money with their books which usually sell themselves.
I however have not done that.
Because when I give a tip, it might be something that works very well for me, but does it work for you too? And then… maybe the golden tip is not there at all!
I therefore wonder: What are my tips worth to you? And I say this in all sincerity!
Moreover, with all our tips we will not get there!
Perhaps the most important thing is, that we realize that when we set time apart for God, we set aside quiet time, whether it is in the morning, during the day, or in the evening, that we realize that there is an encounter, a meeting with the most high God.
When we become aware of this, I think we are no longer talking about tips, but our main thought is “Oh God, let me know you!” And we will enter the inner room, that Jesus is talking about to meet Him. Just go inside, and speak to your Father who sees the into the hidden.
Jesus did not give any tips either.
He only pointed the way of isolation, of dedication, of attention to Him.
Once upon a time there was someone who said, “And what if silent time is so unsatisfactory?”
Well, if you set the alarm clock an hour earlier in the morning to read the Bible and pray, and wait till you experience some kind of “spiritual experience” that you can use for the rest of the day. You will do a lot of waiting. If you expect that, I think your quiet time will indeed often be unsatisfactory. Because that’s not how it works.
I believe that we need much more the discipline than the spiritually special moments. Are they not there? Certainly they are! But our quiet time should not depend on that!
There are Psalms in the Bible. And I am so happy that they are in there.
Those Psalms are often not just beautiful prayers, but if you read them correctly, then those who wrote them are often people, who sometimes don’t know what to do anymore, who are full of questions, and who have poured their hearts with everything, out before God.
We can, and may, do that too. Fair and honest. Just honestly admit it, I don’t know, I don’t understand. There is still so much I do not understand from Your guidance, would You please hear me ..? And then, indeed take the Bible and read!
Let your time with God indeed be a meeting. Very relaxed, like with a good friend.
You cannot do this yourself. I know that. But I also know that in these moments, when you surrender the guidance to the Holy Spirit, you can experience the most beautiful moments of the day in peace and quietness.
So stop calling and making noise all the time, but go into your inner room in silence. And when you indeed focus your attention on God in silent seclusion, it is an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to enlighten your mind, to take, and fill your heart, to let the word that is destined to speak to your soul, come in.
Enter into a real relationship with God, and those silent moments with Him, will become the most valuable moments in your life. Just do it!
Internet: harryschoemaker.nl
Or directly to: devotionals.harryschoemaker.nl
P.S.: Since my daily Bible messages went to over 10 million people, Facebook doesn’t allow me anymore to share these messages in groups (except my own). So if you don’t want miss out on them, you better join my group “The Worldwide Ekklesia” or follow me on Twitter: @schoemakerharry
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