quiet time - pitfalls, strategies, successes
>> July 1, 2009
We all know that one of the most important things we can do as humans, women, Christians, wives, PWs, is to stay committed to our quiet time with the Lord everyday. But it's tough, ain't it?
What strategies have worked for you?
Do you find it essential to meet with a small group? To systematically go through a book of the Bible? To purchase a curriculum and follow it?
What about your prayer time? How have you made this spiritual discipline meaningful and not a ramblefest or simply repetitive?
Would love to hear your ideas!
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5 comments:
I really struggle in this area and can say that I have this down to a T but I try to read a devotional online that I receive from Focus on the Family, most of the times I will write to God in my prayer journal, and then spend a few minutes in the word. This is "ideal" and I thought it would be easier to actually do this now that I am on summer vacation (I'm a teacher) but many times if I don't get around to it as early as I'd like and that brings on guilt. Somewhere along the way that guilt turns into rebellion and there are times when I just don't want to do it at all. However, I am learning that a quiet time can be done in whatever way works best for you.
I have found that I do need an organized study to keep me consistent in the word. Right now I'm doing Pricilla Shirer's study, One in a Million. I'm doing it by myself just so I will stay in the Word over the summer. We may do it as a group of women in the church in the Fall too. It's a great study so far.
I have struggled SO much with this since my second child has come along. I have realized that once my day gets going and the kids are up, I WILL NOT sit still to spend time with God. Too much going through my mind....laundry, dishes, email, ministry stuff, phone calls, etc. I have to get up before the kids and spend time with God. This is very problematic for me because I am the grumpiest morning person and LOVE my sleep. However, it is a must. I just read through the Bible and do a Bible study both on my own.
With a young child plus sleep deprivation it's really hard to fit in 30-60 minutes of alone quiet time. I've found that making a decision to memorize passages in Scripture helps. You can do it throughout the day, even saying it out loud to your child. It's not exactly Bible study, but it's something...
dpm I like your suggestion. I always say I need to memorize more of Word! And I love the idea of repeating throughout the day to the kids, how cool!
I actually do something called SOAP:
S: Scripture, I choose a chapter a day to read
O: Observation, what did I like in the chapter
A: Application, how can I apply it to my life
P: Prayer
I keep it in a journal, it sounds like it takes forever but it's a quick thing to do each day, I love it. I also meet maybe a couple times a month with other women who "SOAP". We all do the same scripture and share what we learned. It's great time of learning along with some girl time (I love this since I'm a mom with two young children)
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