We all need quiet time. It helps us reset. It gives us a chance to simply sit with God, no plans, no thoughts, just being. Quiet time refreshes us, reduces stress, tunes our spiritual hearing. Quiet time is life-renewing.
Jesus modeled quiet time. Luke 5:16 tells us, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (NIV). If quiet time was important to Him, it’s important to us.
Sometimes it seems hard to fit quiet time into our day. If we give it some thought, we can usually come up with a way: wake up five minutes early; let our spouse or sitter take the kids for an hour; take a mental health day off from work; set aside some quiet time in the evening. It might take a little creativity, but carving out quiet time is doable.
Keeping Our Quiet Time Quiet
The bigger challenge is in keeping our quiet time quiet. I’m constantly amazed—although no longer surprised—that the moment I set aside quiet time, my phone rings. Or the dog whines. Or the neighbor starts an outdoor project with loud machinery. That’s why I keep a box fan in my living room.
What about bigger blocks of quiet time, like an hour off? What can disrupt our quiet time then? The most common answer is that we disrupt ourselves. We do this by filling those times with things that seem good but aren’t really quiet.
When I used to take precious time off from work, I would read, listen to music, get in some exercise, putter around the home. Those are all great things, often relaxing. But they aren’t the same as sitting quietly. I needed time to putter, but I also needed quiet time. They were separate things.
Even Bible study, intercessory prayer, watching a spiritual video, listening to worship music—those are amazing for our spiritual health. But they aren’t the same as quiet time. We need spiritual growth activities as well as time just to be still. It’s during those truly quiet times that God recalibrates us, renews us, and fills us with His presence.
Time to Just Sit
One of my favorite lines from the movie, War Room is when the prayer warrior shows her house to the realtor. They walk into the sitting room, and the realtor asks what she does in that room. The prayer warrior says, “Mainly sit.”
What a great reminder of how to keep our quiet time quiet: Just sit.
As you begin to recognize the ways you tend to fill up your quiet time with activity, even good activity, you’ll be able to switch gears and focus on just being quiet. You’ll feel the difference too, to the point that you’ll start craving that quiet time.
How about starting today? Can you carve out a little quiet time? And really keep it quiet? Give it a try. It’ll make all the difference.
Lord, help us to spend quiet time with You. Show us how to find the time. Protect the time and space for us to be quiet. And help us stay still, just sitting in Your presence. When we become busy in our quiet time, remind us to put the busyness away and be still. Thank You for longing for quiet time with us, and giving us this peaceful way to be refreshed by Your Spirit. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen
Adventures with God 