Why You Should Mix Up Your Quiet Time

Draw near to the Lord, and he will draw near to you. - James 4:8

For the longest time, I was under the impression that my daily quiet time with the Lord had to be super regimented. I thought I needed to study my Bible for a certain amount of time, read a devotional or two, spend 30 minutes praying, write in my journal, and have worship music playing softly in the background.

But then one day, my friend and mentor Elaine debunked this idea in about 30 seconds. She told me, “Kristen, your interactions with your friends and family look different from day to day. So why can’t that be the case with the time you spend with God?”

I had never thought about it that way before, but she was right. When it comes to the people in my life, my conversations and interactions with them definitely have some variety. For instance, when I talk to my best friend, we don’t always interact the same way. Some days we text back and forth. Other days we send Marco Polo videos. Sometimes we talk on the phone or FaceTime. It varies. 

And not only do we interact in different ways, but we talk about different things from day to day as well. Sometimes we talk about the hard things we're going through at the moment. Other times we talk about the exciting things we have coming up. Sometimes we ask questions or try to get advice on a big decision coming up. Other times we laugh and reminisce about our favorite memories. There are times I talk more and she listens. And there are times she talks more and I listen. But each day brings new conversation, new topics, and ultimately, new growth to our relationship.

The same goes with your relationship with the Lord. You don’t have to sit down for your quiet time with Him with a checklist of all the things you think you’re supposed to do. All He wants is to spend some quality, uninterrupted time with you. He wants to speak to you. He wants to listen to you. He wants to give you guidance and wisdom, and He wants to show you He loves you. Some days, He may do that through His Word. Other days He may show you through a worship song. He has no limits when it comes to speaking to His children.

With that in mind, my hope is that you won’t get so tied to the structure of your quiet time that you miss out on the point of having a quiet time in the first place. Remember that this is a time you set aside to connect with your Heavenly Father, not an item to check off on your Christian to-do list.

So I pray that moving forward, you will come into His presence with open hands and an open heart, ready to receive whatever He has for you, and that you will be more concerned with developing your relationship with the Lord rather than developing a routine.