Have you ever heard of the term, “quiet time”?

You often hear people say that they have “quiet time” and never explain what it means. Sometimes they do, and it typically means they pray, read their bible, and/or worship. These are all great things, but why do we say quiet time? What if you’re a loud prayer, or a passionate worshiper? Maybe you even read your Bible loud. Am I doing it wrong if it’s not quiet?

When we mature in our faith, we tend to become religious about certain things. This can be about reading your Bible, spending a set amount of time in prayer, or something else, like making yourself go to church every week. Once again, prayer, scripture, and going to church are all great things, but we shouldn’t be religious about it.

Something that we need to remember is that Christianity is all about relationship. Making yourself do religious things is great at first, but as you mature in your faith, your relationship with God should be maturing too.

This is the reason why we need quiet time. Not so that we can knock out all of our tasks with God within an hour span. But so, we can grow in our relationship and spend time with him.

What is Quiet Time?

If you have been in scripture for any length of time, you’ll notice that the words, “quiet time” don’t exactly show up anywhere in the Bible. You don’t see a verse that says, “and Jesus went and had his quiet time”.

This term, in fact, didn’t show up until the 1940’s and was used to describe someone’s alone time with God. This is where they would pray alone, spend intimate time with God, and hear from the Lord. In this place, you can read scripture and do everything that you would normally do, but with the intent to spend time with the Lord in a deeper, more spiritual way. You might hear this referred to as the secret place as well.

Many people have “prayer closets” that they will go into to have their quiet time.

Others will spend time in prayer in their cars and such if they can’t find an opportunity to do it elsewhere.

Though this is new term, the concept itself dates back centuries.

The best example of a quiet time in scripture though, comes from Jesus.

Jesus Prayed

Oftentimes in the Gospels, you’ll see that Jesus completely separates from the disciples. He doesn’t tell them where he is going, he doesn’t leave a note, or anything like that, he just departs. Why is that? Where does he go?

Where Jesus went is not nearly as important as what he did. When Jesus departed to spend time in solitude, he prayed. He didn’t go there to mope or to cry, but to pray to his father.

“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.”” (Mark 1:35-37)

“Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.” (Matthew 14:22-23)

Now let me remind you who Jesus is. He is the son of God, begotten from the Lord himself. He is like-God and is one with God. Jesus wasn’t a normal man, like you or me. Jesus is the son of God. That is what makes his actions so powerful, and so meaningful. The begotten son himself, still needed to pray and spend alone time with God. He needed to depart from his loved ones to pray and and have intimate, alone time with the Lord.

With that being said, how much more do we need to do the same? In order to truly grow in our faith, how much more do we need to be alone with God?

Alone with God

God is after relationship with us. He sent his son to die on the cross for that reason. Jesus’s death gave us an opportunity to spend intimate time with Jesus and rest in his presence. Which is one of the biggest reasons we should be having quiet times.

With the creator-creation relationship, better yet a father-son/daughter, there is a need for communication. We need, as the creation, to communicate and spend time with our father. Without it, the relationship and the blessings that follow, will not grow. Spending quiet time with the Lord allows us to communicate with him and receive revelation from him and his word. Though that is not where the blessings stop.

Time of Revelation

In our quiet times, we often receive fresh revelations from the Lord and his word that we wouldn’t have received if we were just praying in church or studying the word. That is, because the Holy Spirit speaks to us and guides us into truth.

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:13).

Quiet time is a chance for complete focus on the Lord. This allows our spirit to teach us things that our normally carnal mind wouldn’t see. Matthew 6:6 tells us that the Lord who sees what you do in the secret place, or in your quiet time, will reward you in secret. So, when you put your complete focus on the Lord in having alone time with him, there is surely new and fresh revelation to be received.

Time of Strengthening

Becky and Jerry Evans argue that quiet time is like “spiritual food” to one’s soul. I can attest that I have experienced exactly what they are referring to.

Food is not only meant to replenish us, and to give us energy, but it also helps us to grow and be built up.

Likewise, spiritual food would surely be strengthening and building up. There’s even a verse for this very thing.

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:12-14)

While this verse doesn’t mention quiet times, it does say that the food is for the mature believers. As we have established that having quiet time helps you grow, it’s easy to assume that quiet times can be like spiritual food, thus strengthening us. This verse also notes that to become more mature you have to constantly practicing the things of God. Constant practice in terms of having quiet times is going to lead us to be much stronger in our faith.

Time of Encouragement

Quiet times are also very encouraging. They not only provide greater revelation, and greater strength, but also, lots of encouragement.

The definition of encouragement is “the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope” and I think that quiet times provide all of those.

One of the coolest things about Jesus, is that many of the times that he went and had his quiet times, it was before big moments in his life. Surely, he needed support, confidence, and hope for those moments. I believe that the Lord can provide that for us too!

Final Thoughts

To sum everything up, quiet times are a necessity to Christian growth.

If we want to live like Jesus, then quiet times are something that we need to be having.

Let this encourage you. Even more, let it fire you up! Quiet times are so powerful for growth, and they are just awesome!

So, have a great week, and have your quiet times!