“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5 (ESV)
Having a quiet time is like many other activities you might do in life, in at least one respect: To be successful, it helps to have a plan. The Bible says, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5 ESV).
If you’ve never had a quiet time before, you may not have a good, simple plan for doing one. Simplicity is important with any plan you develop. If you make it complicated, you’re more likely to get off track. All you really need for an effective quiet time is a Bible and a notebook.
So what does a daily quiet time look like?
Be quiet before the Lord. The Bible calls it “waiting on God.” You start by simply sitting down and being quiet.
Pray briefly. Start off with prayer. Ask God to give you clarity and focus and discernment as you read his Word.
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. Don’t try to read too quickly or too much. The more slowly you read Scripture, the more you’re forced to think about what you’re reading.
Meditate on the Word. Spend some time chewing on what God is saying. Chew on the Word like cows chew on cud. Ponder and wrestle with it in your mind. There are a lot of great methods for meditating on the Word.
Write down what you discover. When God speaks to you through his Word, care enough about what he is saying to write it down. Recording your discoveries will help you remember what God has said.
Pray again. Stay focused. Thank God for what he has shown you in 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 start with a plan similar to this one, and you’ll soon find, as Proverbs 21 promises, that your diligent plans lead to a life of abundance!
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
Talk It Over
Have you ever thought about your quiet time as an intimate conversation with God? Why or why not?
What distractions do you need to eliminate in order to be quiet with God?
Why is it sometimes hard to read the Bible slowly and meditate on what it says?
This devotional © 2023 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Having a quiet time is like many other activities, in at least one respect: To be successful, it helps to have a plan. Discover a simple quiet-time plan in today’s #DailyHope devotional.
Rick Warren Bio
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church, one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life. His book The Purpose Driven Church was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Pastor Rick created The PEACE Plan to address the five global giants—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. His Daily Hope broadcast and daily devotionals are offered around the world. You can listen to the broadcast or sign up for the free devotionals at PastorRick.com.
Tags
40 Days in the Word – 2023, God’s Word, Bible Study, Prayer, Planning, Focus, Discipline, Proverbs 21
Broadcast Series: 40 Days in the Word – 2023
Sermon Series: 40 Days in the Word (2012)
Sermon: 023606_Understanding the Meaning of a Text
