Have you opened your Bible lately? Have you talked to God in the last week? If you haven’t, I’m here to help you develop a simple quiet time routine with God that will help you strengthen your relationship with Him. And if you have, I will suggest some additional elements you can add to enhance your time with God.
Spending quality time with God doesn’t have to be complicated and it doesn’t have to take a ton of time. It just needs to be meaningful. If you’re going to have a relationship with God, it is essential that you dedicate time every day to spend with Him. Keep it simple, or it will be much more difficult to stick with it day in and day out.
Being human and a mother of four, I understand that life and children can be unpredictable. So, I’m not perfect at this, as I don’t adhere to this exact routine every single day. Nonetheless, my aim is to prioritize quiet time with God in my daily and weekly schedule.
5 Simple Things I Include in my Quiet Time
- Gratitude
- Biblical affirmations
- Bible reading
- Bible meditation
- Prayer
I find that each of these five aspects are very valuable to me and my time with God. I promise this only takes me about 20-30 minutes each morning, so it is feasible to spend time with God in these 5 ways each day.
Now I will break it down for you, so you can understand what each part includes and how you can implement each element into your daily quiet time routine with God.
Gratitude Journal
Gratitude is simply being thankful and showing your thankfulness. So instead of only expressing gratitude at Thanksgiving time, you can express gratitude all year long!!
In my journal each morning, I write down 3 things that I am grateful for and 3 things that would make the day great.
You can write down whatever pops into your head in that moment.
It may be super simple, like a morning cup of coffee.
Or it could be more complex, like God’s faithfulness in this season of life.
All these things come from God, so remembering them and then thanking Him for them, is a great start to the day. Here are some more examples:
3 Things I am Grateful For:
- The warm sunshine on my face
- A comfortable bed where I get a good night’s sleep
- Plenty of clean water to keep me hydrated
3 Things that Would Make Today Great:
- A relaxing morning reading and drinking my coffee.
- Everyone having a good attitude on the way to school.
- Having a great mindset about the challenges of my day.
Here is the simple Journal I use and what a recent excerpt looks like.
When the struggles of the day come (which they will), you can think back to all the things you’re grateful for. When it seems the day isn’t going well, you can remember all the things you wrote down that would make the day great.
It just helps put you in a positive mindset and also have a heart of gratitude for all God has provided!
Biblical Affirmations
I’m sure you’ve heard of people reciting affirmations, but typically these are “me-centered.”
I AM…I am confident. I am brave. I will do great things today.
Biblical affirmations focus more on God and who we are in Christ. Repeating a truth from God’s Word that points to God instead of ourselves and the lies of the world. There is nothing better to fill our minds with each morning than God’s Truth.
Here are some examples:
- I am a child of God.
- I am God’s Masterpiece.
- I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
In my Quiet Time journal (shown below), I have written a list of 31 biblical affirmations (enough for each day of the month). You can choose to read through all of them and then focus on one for the day. So, say it’s the 10th of the month, #10 on the list will be your affirmation of the day. “I am heard by God.” You could even write this down on a notecard or a sticky note so you can repeat it throughout the day.
If you are struggling with your self-esteem, you may want to affirm that “I am fully accepted by God” and “God has chosen me.”
If you are struggling with mistakes you’ve made, you can affirm that “God has fully and completely redeemed me.”
Ingrain these truths in your mind and when Satan tries to get you down, you have God’s truth to hold onto!
Bible Reading
It is important to read God’s actual words (straight from the Bible), not just what a devotional book has to say. Devotional books or bible study books are definitely worth reading, but don’t let that be the only thing you read. Make sure you are diving into the actual Bible! I recommend using a physical copy, although a Bible app would also work.
I am currently studying through this bible study book called Experiencing God. The authors include lots of biblical references as well as real-world examples and how to apply God’s Word to your life.
In these excerpts from the book, you’ll notice numerous Bible verses are included, which I personally look up and read from the scripture. I highlight the sections that resonate with me, which I feel helps reinforce the concepts taught. The Bible study has been enlightening, teaching me about the various ways God communicates with us—through the scriptures, prayer, life situations, and the church. It has also challenged me in many ways, particularly in trusting and following God’s guidance.
It’s important to apply what you read to your life. Rather than forgetting the words as soon as you close your Bible, keep a thought or a lesson with you throughout the day that challenges both your heart and mind.
Meditate on His Word
Meditating is simply thinking deeply about something, so in this case thinking deeply about God’s Word.
Choose a single verse that stood out during your bible reading. You can even write it on a notecard to place where you’ll see it often. Repeat the verse over and over so that you begin to “hide God’s word in your heart.“
Let’s say this verse below stood out to me. I will keep referring to it throughout my day, even applying it to my life. Whenever fears creeps in, remind yourself of this truth. You have the power, love, and a sound mind from God! Not fear.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7
Meditating on Scripture allows us to center our hearts and minds on God. There are numerous distractions thrown at us from every direction all day long. However, intentionally meditating on God’s Word helps us focus on Christ and what matters most.
Prayer
Prayer is simply communicating with God, just as if you would communicate with a good friend or a loving Father. You can communicate with God in the same way!
God is always listening and always answering our prayers. He desires to hear from us. You are not an inconvenience to Him, you are a blessing to Him.
If you are just starting out on your prayer journey, it may feel awkward at first. But don’t let that keep you from talking to God. He hears you. He yearns to have a relationship with me. The Bible contains God’s words to us and prayer is our way of talking to God.
Don’t complicate it. You don’t need to have all the right things to say. Actually, He prefers that it’s heartfelt rather than a reciting a scripted prayer.
There’s no “right way” to pray. You can pray for your children, your marriage, your friends, and your personal struggles. Whatever comes to your mind. Whatever is on your heart. Your Heavenly Father wants to hear from YOU.
Of course, you can keep a prayer list or a prayer journal. Write out your prayers. Speak your prayers aloud. Pray in your head. All of the above.
Spend Time with God Today
Establish a quiet time routine with God today. Don’t wait to spend time with God.
Until your kids are older.
Until you have 30 minutes of uninterrupted time.
Until you are in a calmer, less busy season of life.
The right time to start a quiet time routine with God is NOW.
You can even break up these five parts into smaller chunks throughout the day.
- 5 minutes to write gratitude in your journal first thing in the morning
- 3 minutes to recite biblical affirmations as you’re getting ready
- 10 minutes to read a passage in your bible and apply to your life
- 30 seconds throughout the day to meditate on a verse
- 5 minutes to pray (“pray without ceasing!”)
In this blog post devoted to my morning routine, I show you when I fit in my time with God, along with everything else in the mornings. Although I do think a dedicated Quiet Time with God is so very important so that we are daily abiding in Him, just start where you’re at.
Learn to appreciate God in the world around you. Notice the beauty in nature. Acknowledge it is God’s handiwork. I encourage you to add gratitude, biblical affirmations, bible reading, meditation, and prayer into your daily routine. Make time for God and your relationship with God is sure to blossom into something wonderful!
