Author Elizabeth George writes,

Here’s a question to think about: If someone asked you to describe the quiet time you had this morning, what would you say? This is exactly the question Dawson Trotman, founder of The Navigators ministry organization, used to ask men and women applying for missions work. He once spent five days interviewing candidates for overseas missionary service. He spent a half hour with each one, asking specifically about their devotional life. Sadly, only one person out of 29 interviewed said his devotional life was a constant in his life.[1]

You may be thinking, “Those people are in full-time ministry.  Of course, they should be having a quiet time every morning.” But you might be surprised to learn how few people in ministry do regularly take time not only to talk to God but to let God talk to them.  But before we get too critical of them, let’s evaluate our own quiet time.

Many of us think we’re doing God a favor by talking to Him, when it’s really incredible we have that privilege. We’re the losers if we carry around a load of worry instead of bringing it to our Savior, who loves us so. I like the way Corrie ten Boom puts it: “As a camel kneels before his master to have him remove his burden, so kneel and let the Master take your burden.”[2] How can we afford not to unload on the Lord and let Him advise us what to do? It’s worth giving up some sleep to have that intimate time with Him.

Your quiet time can consist of many elements, including singing your worship to the Lord or listening to an MP3 devotional you downloaded to your iPOD. But always include the reading of scripture and moments in prayer.

Quiet time with the Lord will give us a quiet spirit, which the Bible describes as “unfading beauty…of great worth in God’s sight” (1 Peter 3:4).  It’s better for us than any trip to the spa!

[1] Elizabeth George, A Woman After God’s Own Heart (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1997), 30.

[2] Corrie Ten Boom, Don’t Wrestle, Just Nestle (Old Tappan, NJ: Revell, 1978), 79.