QUIET TIME AND THE CHRISTIAN

I. Introduction: As Christians there are many activities we participate in so that we

may grow spiritually, but none is more important than our own personal time with
God. It is here that we meet God in the first person. There is nothing second hand
about a quiet time! It is the time where we meet with the great God of the universe
who relates to us as our Abba Father in tenderness and intimacy. It is the time where
we fellowship with Him as His priceless child.

However, if we are honest, we must also say that the quiet time can also be a place of
great struggle. Every Christian struggles in their walk with God from time to time,
but many Christians (the majority?) would say they struggle all the time. When we
do struggle, whether short term or long term, the frustration and confusion are very
real. It is often difficult to understand what is going on both for the person
experiencing it and for the one who is trying to help that person. In these times we
tend to treat the symptoms rather than root causes. With this in mind we will spend
our time today first looking at some of the reasons we struggle before looking at the
actual content and nature of our personal time with God.

II. Mistaken Motivations for Spending Time with God: These reasons can be overt in
our lives, because we are convinced they are right, or they can be subtle – we know
better but old habits have a way of seeping back in. Each has an element of truth,
which is the secret to their staying power.
a. Sense of Duty – “It is the right thing to do. A good Christian should spend time
with God whether he/she feels like it or not. I just need to work on my self
discipline.” (see John 14:15, 21)
b. Feelings of Guilt – “After all God has done for me, I should enjoy spending time
with Him. I feel so bad that I don’t. I don’t know how He can stand me – I’m
such a wretch. I will try harder tomorrow.” (see Romans 8:1-4, Hebrews 4:14-16)
c. Fear of Punishment – “If I’m not faithful in spending time with God He will
punish me and I don’t want that so I had better get with it!” (see Romans 8:15-16,
II Timothy 1:7, I John 4:18)
d. Personal Gain and Favor – “If spend time with God today, He will be with me
and bless me. My day will be happy and successful.” (see James 4:3)
e. Instant Gratification – “My life is such a mess, maybe if I spend time with God
this week things will be better by the weekend!” (see II Peter 1:1-11)

Each of these mistaken motivations will “work” for a period of time but they all
ultimately fail because they are not properly rooted in the truth of Scripture.

III. Reasons We Avoid Spending Time With God: There are also reasons that we find
ourselves simply reluctant to be with God at all. Sometimes these are the most
confusing of all because they are not easily detected.
a. Idol Worship – Hebrews 11:6 tells us that when we come to God we “must
believe that He is.” Now that is a mouthful! We worship the God who is – the
great I AM. He is the God of all truth and we are to worship Him in spirit and in
 truth. To the extent that we believe Him to be anything less than who He is, to
that extent we are worshipping an idol. To that same extent we also experience
spiritual impotence and defeat. Needless to say, the effect on our quiet time can
be very detrimental. (see Psalm 50:16-211, Psalm 115:1-8)
b. Mistaken Father – This is directly related to idol worship but it is so specific
(and prevalent) it needs to be addressed on its own. We receive our earliest
understanding of fatherhood by way of our relationship with our earthly fathers.
When we come to God as our heavenly Father through faith in Jesus Christ, it is
quite natural to transfer the characteristics of our earthly father onto God. (Jesus
alluded to this in Matthew 7:9-11) If we had a bad or absent earthly father this
can be disastrous in our walk with God. If we had a good earthly father it’s ok to
start there but we must move beyond it because even the best earthly dad is at best
a pale shadow of the real “Father of Lights”. Ultimately we must come to see
God as our “Abba Father”. That tender, intimate, wise, and trustworthy Dad to
whom we can always draw near. (see Romans 8:15-16, Galatians 4:6)
c. Confidence in the Flesh – The root of this spirit is the confidence in the flesh the
Apostle Paul spoke of in Philippians 3:1-6. Romans 7 is a detailed and painful
description of Paul’s experience of being set free from the confidence that he
could live the Christian life in his own strength. Each of us must go through this
experience (repeatedly!?) in the Christian life and it is hard. This is why God
speaks so highly of trials and tribulations because they create brokenness in us
which leads to a life of dependence on God. Trials are the fertile ground that
grows a rich and vibrant devotional life. (see James 1:2-4, Hebrews 12:1-13)
d. Sin – We understand from John 3:19-21 that the light of the cross exposes the evil
in men’s hearts. Those who are drawn to the light are those desiring to practice
the truth. These are evangelistic verses but the same principle is true in the life of
a believer. The unwillingness to confront personal sin as God’s Spirit and Word
reveal it to us translates into an avoidance of intimacy with God. The desire to
stay in the shadows and nurture personal sin patterns makes it very difficult to
draw near to God in a meaningful way. In James 4:8 when James urged his
readers to “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you,” the context was
confronting personal sin and submitting to God. We must be willing!

IV. Drawing Near to God: There are several key elements that should be in place in our
times with God. This doesn’t mean that each one has to be there every time or in any
particular order. These are simply the elements of a balanced walk with God that we
should strive for.
a. The Word – The Bible is God’s Word to us. It is filled with His wisdom and
knowledge. It tells us what God is like, who we are in Christ, how to grow
spiritually, and how to live the Christian life. It is “living and active” and “able to
judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12). It “teaches”,
“reproves”, “corrects”, and “trains” us in righteousness so that we are “equipped
for every good work” (II Timothy 3:16-17). It is spiritual food for our spirits and
must not be neglected any more than physical food for our physical bodies. It is
the essential ingredient in our walk with God!
 b. Thanksgiving – This is one very good way to begin a quiet time because
gratitude is an expression of dependence, humility, and faith. Three heart
attitudes that draw us into the presence of God in the first place. Acts 17:28 tells
us, “For in Him we live and move and have our being,” while James 1:17 tells us
that “every good thing bestowed...is from above.” There is so much to be
thankful for! When we express it we are focusing on the goodness and
faithfulness of our heavenly Father.
c. Praise – This involves ascribing glory and honor to God for who He is and what
He does. It is not unusual to feel tongue tied in this area. God is so awesome in
His greatness and we are so limited in our ability to grasp and articulate it, that it
is easy to minimize this area. A better approach is to familiarize ourselves with
the Psalms and Isaiah where great praise is repeatedly given to God. Also, a
study on the attributes of God and Names of God can be very helpful.
d. Confession – The good news of the gospel is that Jesus paid the price for all of
our sins – past, present, and future. Confession is God’s gracious provision to us
to experience the reality of this forgiveness on a daily basis. To “confess” simply
means to agree with God about our sin. In this way we are able to walk in
fellowship with God and experience the cleansing power of the cross. (see I John
1:5-10 and II Corinthians 7:9-10)
e. Supplication – God has made it clear that He wants His children to come to Him
with their needs. There is nothing too great or too small to bring to Him. He is
deeply interested and committed to us every day of our lives. Philippians 4:6-7
exhorts us to trade our anxiety for “letting your requests be made known to God,”
while James 4:2 bluntly tells us, “You do not have because you do not ask.”
When we ask, God in His sovereign wisdom will either say “yes”, “no”, or
“wait”. Each is an expression of His goodness.
f. Solitude and Silence – You know, we use the term “Quiet Time” to describe our
time with God but how quiet are we really? It is easy to be so busy talking to God
that we never actually take time to listen to Him. We never really experience
Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” The Holy Spirit speaks to us in
many ways - the Scriptures, circumstances, people, books, personal impressions
and experiences, etc. But all of these assume that we are taking the time to listen
and ponder the working of God in our lives. It may feel odd at first, but keep at it.
It can be practiced after any one of the preceding elements of a quiet time that I
have listed.

Additional Thoughts about Drawing Near to God

1. Practice Honesty – There is a strange idea that takes root in our hearts that somehow it is
unacceptable to be completely honest with God (as if He does not already know! See
Hebrews 4:13). Yet the pattern of Scripture is absolute honesty with God. It is the basis
for true spiritual healing and wholeness. Job, David, Asaph, and Jeremiah are the
greatest examples of this in the Bible. God is big enough and His grace sufficient enough
to handle whatever thoughts, emotions, and questions we bring to Him. If you have
trouble believing this then I encourage you to review the Biblical writings of these men
and see how God dealt with them as they practiced total honesty with God. Also keep in
 mind those beautiful verses in Hebrews 4:14-16 that tell us of the gracious high priestly
ministry of Christ.
2. Read all of the Bible – As Christians it is important to expose ourselves to the whole
counsel of God. It is easy to become a “New Testament” Christian in the wrong sense!
The Old Testament is rich in application and is so worthy of our attention. Remember
the more we read Scriptures, the more we understand it. It is also helpful to underline
verses that especially speak to us so they can be easily found at a later time.
3. Anytime is a good time to be with God – There is a spoken and unspoken rule among
many Christians that a morning quiet time is the best time to be with God. Morning is a
wonderful time to be with God but the Bible speaks of other times as well. David and
Jesus spent extended time with God the Father in the night as well as the morning.
Daniel regularly prayed to God three times a day. In Acts 10, Peter received his “gentile”
vision while praying at the noon hour. Cornelius had been praying at 3 p.m. the day
before. The important thing is to be a student of yourself and pick the time that works
best for you (not someone else!) I would also encourage you to “anchor” your walk with
God by spending a more extended, leisurely time with Him at least once a month. This is
a deepening experience that can reap unexpected benefits.
4. Seasons of Life – There are times in life when we will struggle. Sometimes this is due to
outer circumstances and sometimes due to inner turmoil. These are the wilderness times
when it seems God is far way and the Bible seems a dry, dusty book. This is part of our
Christian life and we must understand that God is always working in our lives even when
we can’t see it or feel it. He also loves faith - which means we trust Him and His Word
even when we can’t see, feel, or recognize His work in our lives. (see Hebrews 11:6 and
II Corinthians 5:7) This too shall pass so don’t panic! The Psalms are especially
helpful during these times.
5. Think Relationship – The Bible, from cover to cover, is the story of a priceless
relationship lost by man’s willful choice and a priceless relationship regained by God’s
willful choice. He paid everything to get us back so that we might be caught up in a love
relationship with Him. (see Romans 8:31-39) I encourage you to pour out you inner
most heart to God. Hurt with Him, cry with Him, think with Him, dream with Him,
laugh with Him, and ask of him what only He can give. Obviously a steady diet of
Scripture reading and good Bible teaching will constantly encourage us and renew our
minds in this area. Good reading is also of great benefit. God has blessed the larger body
of the Christ with men and women who are gifted at helping Christians grow. It is
important to take advantage of these and always be reading a good book. Below is a list
of books that I have found to be helpful.

Helps
The Attributes of God
Knowing God – J.I. Packer
Knowledge of the Holy – A.W. Tozer
Trusting God: Even when Life Hurts – Jerry Bridges

Our Identity in Christ

The Search for Significance – Robert McGee
Victory over the Darkness – Neil Anderson
 Be Transformed (Bible Study) – Scope Ministries

God’s Grace and Love

Hinds Feet on High Places – Hannah Hurnard
The Ragamuffin Gospel – Brennan Manning
Restless Trust – Brennan Manning
What Is So Amazing About Grace – Philip Yancey

Devotionals
Dare to Journey with Henri Noumen – Charles Ringman
Reflections on the Word – Ken Gire
Diamonds in the Dust – Joni Erickson Tada

Must Read
Run with the Horses – Eugene Peterson