As we shared with you during our anniversary party on January 1st, we choose to go quiet in the month of January to seek God and learn His desire as to how to move forward in the ministry. Perhaps you would like to seek God yourself. Here is a brief beginners guide to help you. We are praying for you! This isn’t about perfection, friend, it is about persisting in being with God. Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT) says, “If you look for Me wholeheartedly, you will find Me.”
1. Be quiet before the Lord. The Bible calls it waiting on God. You start by simply sitting down and being quiet.
2. Pray briefly. Start off with a short opening prayer. Ask God to open your mind and guide you. Ask him to cleanse your mind.
3. Read a portion of Scripture slowly. This is where your conversation with God begins. He starts speaking to you through his Word, and then you speak back to him through prayer. Read the Bible slowly. Perhaps read it in several translations. Don’t try to read too quickly or too much. The more slowly you read Scripture, the more you think about what you’re reading.
4. Meditate on the Word. Spend time thinking about what God is saying. Ponder and wrestle with it in your mind. This is where I wrestle with “Who, What, Where and How questions.” I often write these things down to think about and remember.
5. Write down what you discover. When God speaks to you through His Word, write down what He is saying to you. Perhaps start a journal specifically for this purpose. Writing it down enables us to remember what God has said to us and to record our discoveries.
6. Pray again, Be Quiet. Ask God to show you His word. Talk to God about what he has said to you. Tell him what you’re thinking about what He is saying. Talk to him about anything else that’s on your mind.
There’s not just one way to have a quiet time but following a plan like this can get you started on your own rewarding devotional journey.
Have you ever thought about your quiet time as an intimate conversation with God?
— Sue M. Lindsey (c) January 2022