The Key to Creating a Rich Quiet Time Habit

Posted on Oct 02, 2018 Topic : Women's Christian Living
Posted by : Jane Johnson

When I was seven, I wore an eyepatch. It wasn’t the kind of pirate-patch like you would wear for Halloween. It was the Band-Aid kind that was decorated with sparkles and stickers to pretty it up and disguise the fact that it was, indeed, an eyepatch. I was born with an inherent laziness in my right eye that made it sometimes wander, eventually requiring corrective surgery. So I wore the prettied-up-patch over my good eye to strengthen the weak muscles in the lazy one before the procedure.

And so it was that if you were looking for seven-year-old lazy-eyed Jane, you would likely find me on the playground, using my good eye to peek through a loosened corner peephole of a sweaty eye patch.

But there was always a box of replacements waiting in a drawer of my teacher’s desk. So I’d go through the rest of the school day with my good eye blinded, pretending to see normally when everything was actually a blurry, jumbled, and frustrating mess.

It’s ironic that I ended up in a camera career that is dependent upon having a good eye. If you’re looking for me now, you will likely find me sitting in front of the computer editing photographs—the weak-eyed photographer who trained her one good eye to see well enough for two.

When things are lazy, they are prone to wander. That’s why a regular, habitual quiet time is so important: It staves off a lazy faith and protects against a wandering heart.

Before we go any further in this journey of learning to study Scripture, let’s pause to recognize and acknowledge the things that prevent a rich and habitual quiet time.

Sometimes, it’s simple prone-to-wander laziness. But not always. I can’t tell you the number of conversations I’ve had with people who truly hunger for a daily, dedicated quiet time and are quick to provide a laundry list of reasons why it just hasn’t worked for them—reasons that end up creating bruised shins from never quite clearing the create-a-habit hurdle.

Clearing that hurdle comes down to what it always comes down to: You have to really want it. You have to want it badly enough to overcome the opposition that comes against you. And boy, will it come. It’s no accident that David described the table God prepared for him in Psalm 23 as being in the presence of his enemies. And what bigger enemy do we have than Satan? The last thing that little devil wants is for us to sit in the presence of God. He doesn’t want us focused and intentional—eagerly and expectantly waiting for God’s presence to be made manifest.

There are 24 different Hebrew words and 15 Greek words for the single English word wait in the Bible. One of them specifically refers to staying at home and expecting a visitor. Moses used it in Exodus 24 as he prepared to go up to Mount Sinai with Joshua to receive the Ten Commandments.

“Wait here for us until we come back to you,” Moses said (v. 14).

It’s the same type of anticipation you need to have when you approach your quiet time: Stay put and expect God to join you right there on your perch. Whether it’s an overstuffed chair at home, your kitchen table, or a table tucked away in a coffee shop, expect Him to come to you.

When we get into a daily, habitual quiet time, we begin to learn and recognize God’s voice and expect Him to whisper-reveal Himself. That’s powerful. And it’s the last thing Satan wants. You better believe he’s right there at our table that God prepares for us every single day, doing everything he can to distract, confuse, and create disinterest in the Word of God.

Whatever the obstacle that keeps you from meeting with God daily, I encourage you to find a handful of verses related to your struggle and turn them into Scripture-prayers. Because praying with our own words is powerful, but praying God’s Word is unstoppable. Using Scripture-prayers in your daily quiet time is taking God at His Word and believing Him for the fulfillment of it.

It’s time to stretch your legs, leap over the obstacles, and dare yourself to deepen your understanding of the Bible. You’ll be blown away at the things you dig up.

I promise.