Try these three keys to great quiet time

If you’re like many people I know, one of your new year’s resolutions is related to your time in Scripture. You might have committed to having a daily quiet time, reading the whole Bible this year or engaging in a new Bible study.

Regardless of the specific goal you’ve set for yourself, there are three keys for success in this area I’ve discovered over my years of teaching and mentoring women. They are not particularly deep or complex, but identifying your answers to these three questions is a great way to move you one step closer to keeping your eyes on the goals and achieving success.

Specific place – Where will you do it?

Identifying where you will meet with the Lord helps you focus. Currently I have my quiet time at my big round table/desk in my office. But I’ve done it at the dining room table, sitting in a comfy chair by my favorite window or even sitting on the couch while my daughter watched “Little Bear” when she was little.

A specific place gives us a settling point. We can keep our “stuff” there and let our family know when we are in that spot, we’re meeting with God. Choosing a specific place might take some time, and you might have to try out a few places in order to find your spot. But do it. It makes a difference.

Specific time – When will you do it?

There isn’t a “most holy” time to meet with the Lord. Throughout Scripture, we see people engaging in prayer throughout the day.

But there is something powerful about spending time with the Lord first thing in the morning. This is why it’s important to know that Bible study and quiet time aren’t the same thing – because mornings are frantic for most of us. But carving out 15 minutes to spend in prayer, reading and reflection is the most effective way to begin each day with a heart focused on the Lord.

Specific plan – What will you do?

Here’s the part where comparison can really get us. We see all the options, and women who are doing four and five studies and devotions every morning, and we are ready to give up before we even start. Good news: your plan can be – and probably should be – simple.

For 2018, I’m reading the Bible chronologically, about three or four chapters a day, and using Paul David Tripp’s devotional, “New Morning Mercies.” That’s it. I will be teaching and participating in several Bible studies throughout the year, and I might add some of that to my morning routine, but for me, the daily standard is those two things.

Maybe you want to read through the Bible this year. Go for it. Maybe you want to use a “She Reads Truth” reading plan. Maybe you’re in a group on Facebook with a reading plan or maybe you’re going to use “My Utmost for His Highest” as your devotional reading. Or maybe you’ll do a combination of several throughout the year.

The big thing is to know what you’re going to do before you sit down! So have a plan, even if it’s just a plan for January, and then you’ll have a new plan for February.

That’s it – three keys to having a great quiet time: where, when, and what. Now, you’re on your way to starting this new year with your resolution intact.