Do you struggle to know what to do when seeking the Lord? When you hear of daily devotions or quiet time with God, do you just draw a blank?
Spending time with God can be a daunting task. When you sit down to meet with the Lord, you might be asking, “Now what?” What can I do in my quiet times with God to draw closer to Him? Or you have been consistently meeting with the Lord but you feel stuck. Perhaps the routine has become monotonous and borders on rote or feels robotic.
Let’s consider together how to spend time with God in different ways that will all promote spiritual growth. Routines help us consistently draw near to God but change can reinvigorate and bring new breakthroughs in your walk with the Lord. Remember, spending time with God is about relationship and transformation. Knowing God is our main focus. Whenever we know God more, we end up with greater understanding of ourselves. This self-illumination comes in two ways: understanding how valuable we are and how we fall short. In this process the Holy Spirit works to bring about repentance and renewal in our lives and transforms into the image of the Son. Let’s explore a few methods for daily devotions with God.
3/10s: Worship, Word, Prayer
The first approach to spending time with God maps out three activities for ten minutes each. The goal in this approach is to:
- Spend 10 minutes worshiping God
- Take 10 minutes to read from the Bible
- Spend 10 minutes in prayer
If 10 minutes is too long, try starting for just 3 minutes each in the beginning. This pattern of daily devotions provides a balance and structure to your time with God. You can grow into more time with the Lord as you develop the habit of daily worship, Bible reading and prayer.
Read more about the 3/10s approach in: Patterns of Daily Devotion: 3/10s – Worship/Word/Prayer
Connecting When Time is Short
Even with the best intentions of spending quality time with the Lord, you will find yourself crunched for time some days. When this occurs, you can break from your normal pattern with this shorter approach. This pattern may fit better for those in a more demanding season of life (such as raising toddlers). When time is short you can still prioritize time with the Lord. Connecting with the Lord doesn’t have to take a long time but it is important to honor the Lord even when you are busy.
Read more about: Patterns of Daily Devotions: Connecting When Time is Short
Using a Journal
For some, trying to sit quietly and focus on Bible reading or prayer can be challenging. Coming pressures of the day press in. Thoughts or chores distract. If you have trouble keeping focused, try getting a journal and writing while spending time with God. You can use a free-form journal for writing down your thoughts. If you prefer more structure, options are available for prayer journals which provide a framework for daily journaling your prayer life. Three ideas:
- Journal through a Book of the Bible
- The “ACTS” Prayer Pattern
- Keeping a Prayer Journal
Read here for more details on incorporating a journal into your daily devotions: Patterns of Daily Devotions: Using a Journal
Bible Plans
Opportunities abound for using Bible plans in your daily devotional reading. You can choose from any number of plans to read through the Bible in one year. For the traditional approach, purchase a One Year Bible to walk you through the Scriptures. If you prefer to use a device, the Bible app makes it very easy to find topical reading plans and devotionals. This app is a great way to provide structure and accountability to your daily devotions. Reminders can be set on your phone or tablet to encourage you to remain consistent. Engage with friends by reading a group plan together (in a virtual sense).
Get more tips on Bible plans in: Patterns of Daily Devotions: Bible Plans
Summary
Spending Time with God does not have to be a burden or a chore. Read further about each of the patterns for daily devotions and you will see God’s word come alive to you. God loves you and desires to meet with you daily. The Holy Spirit will convict, teach, guide, and transform you as you make yourself available. Don’t wait – get started today!
Further reading on Patterns of Daily Devotions: