4 Simple Ways to Make Use of Time Alone with God for your Quiet Time

Here are 4 simple ways to use Time Alone with God. Each way has two different activities which you can do one per day or both in one go (if you had skipped the first day). Minimum 3 times a week. These activities are best done by writing down your responses rather than doing everything in your head.

1. a) Spend time on Step 1. 
   b) Read the passage a few times. Pray. (Read the write-up for Sunday after the third session.)
2. a) Spend time on Step 1. 
   b) Read the passage and pick out 1 verse that says something to you. Explain why. Pray in response.
3. a) Spend time on Step 1. 
   b) Read the passage and work out what you think it is trying to tell you. Keep it simple. Pray in response.
4. a) spend time on Step 1. 
   b) Answer the questions in Further Thoughts. (Refer to the write-up for Sunday for possibilities.) 
   c) Think about what the passage says to you. Pray in response.

NOTES

1. Don’t focus on getting perfect answers (time with God is NOT bible study) but on interacting with God sharing with him your concerns and letting him share with you his concerns. Focus on doing this in a way that will encourage you to do so regularly rather than on making the time substantial. Regular will lead to substance eventually.
2. If you have nothing for Step 1, then just pray. Like David in the Psalms, complain if you have problems. Thank him if good things are happening. Pray for your church and specific members if you have nothing personal to raise with God.
3. If you get nothing from the passage, then try reading the Sunday write-up. If still nothing then just pray and end. Nothing to pray, then use the Lord’s prayer. Don’t make things difficult by trying to meet a certain standard. The most important is to regularly interact with God.
4. Don’t expect every session to be deeply meaningful and satisfying but neither assume your sessions are going to be dry and boring. If you regularly do Step 1 honestly your needs and questions will be on your mind and you will be able to make the connections from God’s word when they are there. When you do find connections you still have to think about what it means and how you should respond. Don’t make blind assumptions.
5. You can always use a mix of the 4 ways listed above: Sometimes you are busy and tight for time and you may just do something simple; sometimes the passage is fairly difficult or the questions in Further Thoughts are difficult to answer; or sometimes you come across a passage that really speaks to you in ways that are quite different from the direction of the questions in Further Thoughts; take a different approach. As I have emphasised, the important things are what is going on between you and God and the regularity of your time with him. Don’t be fixated on structures; they are there to help and not dictate.