Some Christians find keeping the Quiet Time a burden, as if they are doing God a favour. No, it is a great joy because you fellowship with your Saviour who loves you. He is waiting to bless you. But if you hope for the Lord to speak to you, you must seek the Lord earnestly and by faith: “And without faith it is impossible to please Him. Anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Heb 11:6). Don’t have a heart of unbelief: “Will the Lord speak to me?”; “Does God even exist?”; “Is reading the Bible of any use? Can it solve my problems?” God’s word will provide you strength to live life: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Deut 8:3); God’s word makes you wise (Psalm 119:98-100):
98 Your commands are always with me
and make me wiser than my enemies.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
100 I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.
It’s worth setting aside time (and the best time of the day) to read the Bible. If you read the Bible, you can be fully assured you will be blessed with eternal goodness. Note the following Bible verses. God’s word will give you strength to overcome sin: “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word” (Psa 119:9). God’s word will preserve your life from harm: “I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life” (Psa 119:93). “To all perfection I see a limit, but your commands are boundless” (Psa 119:96): God’s word is perfect is all aspects. Hence, the solution it provides is perfect. How should we obey the Bible? “Though the wicked bind me with ropes, I will not forget your law. (Psa 119:61); “I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path” (Psa 119:104): do not love the pleasures of sin and thus disobey God’s word; “My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws” (Psa 119:120): read the Bible with great respect because these are the words of the almighty God.
Choose a time. Choose the best time of the day to do your Quiet Time. The best time is when you can concentrate the best. I personally prefer to do my Quiet Time in the morning because I want to start the day with God. Also, sometimes unexpected events may happen which could prevent you from doing your Quiet Time at night. But whether it is day or night, choose a time which you know you would be undisturbed.
Choose a Bible passage. You can select a book of the Bible and systematically read through the book. Do not be ambitious: read a paragraph. For those who have a “smart phone,” you could also follow the daily passage in the YouVersion. You could also purchase Quiet Time booklets or use some study Bibles, like the Application Bible or 灵修版圣经.
Learn a lesson for life. Then ask yourself: Is there anything I should change? Is there anything I should obey? Is there anything I should believe? The lesson for the day could come from a particular verse or from the action/word of a particular character if the passage you read is a narrative. You might sometimes feel that you have not learned much from the passage of the day. But that is because you are too focused on what you hope to hear or the problem you are presently facing: you hope that God speaks to your immediate problem. I urge you: let God speak what He wants to say. Learn the lesson well. Oftentimes, what you learn is more important than your present problem.
Respond in prayer. Ask the Lord to help you obey what you learned for the day. The Lord will surely help you obey and then bless you for obedience.