Worshipful Ways Wednesday - Ideas for Your Quiet Time

I know that if you have been following Maria's Missions, you are probably sick and tired of me going on and on about your daily Quiet Time. I just can't seem to explain how important it is to do as a follower of Christ!

I have seen a difference in my own self on the days I have had a Quiet Time versus the days I didn't have a Quiet Time. We're supposed to be in relation with God, but how are we going to do that if we don't spend time with Him?

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Growing up, I heard about "Quiet Times", but I had no earthly clue how to have one. I knew you were supposed to pray and read your Bible at home when you weren't at church, but I couldn't seem to remember to do either of those when I wasn't at church! I would go to church each week and be reminded that I forgot to pray or read, and I would feel shameful for not remembering 2 simple things to do.

I hated that feeling, and I don't want you to feel that way either.

For me, it was a lack of guidance on how to do one. I would open up my Bible, look down, be overwhelmed, and would shut it thinking I would never learn how to do this.

Fast-forward to now, and I have created Quiet Time Journals for YOU to have to help guide you along in your Quiet Time.

The only way to learn how to do a Quiet Time is to practice, and to allow God to lead and direct you in how He would like to hang out with you at this point in time.

Sometimes God will want to spend time with you without your reading or praying. Sometimes He'll just want you to sit their in His presence. Sometimes you might feel an urge to just sing worship songs to Him. Sometimes you'll feel and urge to read a certain passage, or to pray for something specific. God works in so many ways, and you can spend time with Him in so many ways too!

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Now, it took me years to figure out how I personally feel like I've had a "complete" Quiet Time, and so I would love to share that with you, BUT this is MY personal Quiet Time practice, and I want YOU to figure out your own Quiet Time practice. That means you might add or take away from my own Quiet Time practice, and that is exactly what I want you to do! God created people to be different, and that's such a good thing. That also means He has different relationship with us, and it's your job to learn you and God's relationship style. Have fun with it! Try new things, even if it seems a little weird at first. Learn and grow in your relationship with God in whatever ways you can imagine!

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So, here is my Quiet Time practice that I try to do every day. Sometimes I miss a day or two or ten! Whenever I realize I haven't had a Quiet Time lately, I just jump right back in instead of feeling like God doesn't want me anymore. God WANTS you... all the time! So, if you've forgotten your QT, just pick up where you last left off! God will be happy to spend time with you again.

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"Today I'm grateful for..." 

At the beginning of every Quiet Time (QT), I think of something I am grateful for. This may be cheese, chocolate, snow, trees, people, family,... ANYTHING! Sometimes it's super specific, sometimes it's not. Just the first thing that comes to mind, I write down in my journal.

Prayer

I use the A.C.T.S. model to pray during my Quiet Time. This means I pray like this:

Adoration - I first tell God how much I adore him. I might say, "God of all creation. You are SO holy and SO mighty. You have done great things, and are worthy of all praise, glory, and honor from all of your creation." Basically it is encouraging words or "words of affirmation" to God.

Confession - Next, I ask forgiveness from God for the things I've done recently that did not show love to Him. I might say something like,  "God, please forgive me for not spending quality time with you. I have put other things first, in Your rightful place. Forgive me, LORD." Anything you can think of that might have displeased God, you can ask for forgiveness here.

Thanksgiving - Now, I thank God for all of the many blessings He has given me. I might say, "Thank you, God, for the love You have shown me, and for caring for me at all times. Thank you for my family who continues to love and care for me and encourage me through hard times. Thank you for giving me a job that I can talk to others about You. Thank you for my super comfy pillow I get to lie my head on at night, and for the good nights sleep I had last night." As you can see, this part can go on for a while. I also usually thank God for whatever I put in my journal earlier under "Today, I'm grateful for..." This is a great time to really look and see how good God has been to you lately.

Supplication - Finally we get to the part where we pray for things from God. This is the time I might pray, "Lord, I ask that you will please lead and guide me through these next phases in life. Help me to know what to do when new job opportunities come about. Help me to use my time wisely, and to have an overwhelming love for others, especially my husband, family, and friends. Please give me confidence as I teach the kids at church this Sunday, and speak through me in a way that the kids will understand and be able to learn more about You through me."

Some people just pray for supplications, but I have learned that going through the A.C.T.S. process allows your heart to be set right before asking God for things.

Scripture and Memory Verse

Next in my Quiet Time, I will open my Bible to where I last left off. I am currently in Numbers, and I read one chapter a day. As I read whatever chapter I'm on, I write down thoughts that come to mind. These can be super profound, or something like, "Oooohh...." or "Wow!" Seriously, whatever comes to mind I write.

This seems to help me stay focused and engaged in the text for some reason. I might also draw whatever is mentioned in the Scripture. The other day, I was reading about how they put 12 staffs into the ground, and the next day one of the staffs had turned into a tree. I drew that in my notes to help me think of it visually, and it helps me to remember the event as well. (I'm a visual learner.)

As I'm reading, I will also look for a memory verse to use within the chapter. Numbers has been difficult to have a good memory verse in each chapter, so I have been using a memory verse I used in Numbers 15 as I have continued. I will often put motions to the verse to help me remember it as well. My husband often looks at me like, "what are you doing" whenever I get to this point in my QT, and that's when I tell him I'm helping myself remember. I think he's pretty used to it now.

Journal

It has been shown in many cases that journaling truly helps people. I agree! I think journaling can really help you look at your life in a different way. It's a great source to have to look back and see how you've grown! It's also a great way to just get some things out of your head and heart!

Journaling can be as simple as, "Today I went to church, then went out to eat at Adelitas, then took a nap, and then watched Netflix." It can also be as intricate as, "Today when I woke up, I felt quite tired. My body was aching all over, and I found it hard to get out of bed. I immediately turned on the bath water and through some epsom salt in,"... you get the picture.

I have learned that somewhere in between is a good place to be. You don't have to be super specific, but you don't have to write only one sentence either. My counselor says to "write as if no one would ever find or read this." He wants me to be SUPER honest when I journal and include a lot of what I'm feeling exactly.

Emotions

Being a psychology major, I have found that reflecting on how you are currently feeling not only helps you with your own self awareness, it also helps you in dealing with others. If you can learn to put words to how you are feeling, you will be able to tell others how you feel, and can communicate better with them.

My husband and I have learned how helpful it is in a relationship to talk to the other person about how you feel and why you think you feel that way. The first step in doing this though is to recognize what it is that you feel instead of just "bad" or "not good". The more descriptive you can begin to be with your emotions, the better your communication skills will be, and the faster you will be able to resolve negative feelings or emotions.

In my journal I have 3 circles that I use to draw a face with the emotion I feel, and then I have a blank that I write the emotion I feel into. Some emotions I have used are "anxious", " confused", "ecstatic", "satisfied". It's fun to learn the emotion that you feel and to take the few seconds it takes to sit back and just see where you are right now.

Notes & Doodles

I have a Notes & Doodles area on my Quiet Time journal that I use if I need to when I'm reading Scripture. If I don't use it while reading Scripture, then I use it to write a little note, or to draw a picture of a heart or flower. It's fun to just doodle every once and a while!

Checklist

Call me a typically woman, but I like to have a checklist. At the bottom of my QT journal, I have a checklist to check off if I've:

- Read My Bible
- Memorized Scripture
- Fellowshipped With Other Believers
- Prayed
- Listened

I might have "fellowshipped with other believers" at work, church, or even had a conversation with my husband about something I learned in the Bible today, or about something he learned in his Seminary class.

I also have "listened" on my checklist to reming me to actively listen for God. This world is so busy and loud, that we often have to set aside time to not allow for distractions, and simply listen for God's voice in case there's something He wants you to tell you.

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So, that's my Quiet Time practice! I hope you'll use it to start your own Quiet Time practice and that you'll add or take away things, making it your own!

Also, Quiet Time practices take self discipline, and it's not always fun to find time to set aside to be alone with God, but I think as you practice your Quiet Time daily, you'll begin to see a difference in your own attitude, as well as your thoughts and emotions.

Thanks for reading!

TGBTG