Remember those days when you were back in the university, that group of close friends at church whom you always hung out with?
Going to church was exciting every week. You went to prayer meetings, cell group meetings, and church camps together.
It was natural, and you didn't have to struggle much about spending time with God. It's like you were always connected to God and His people.
Then you started working. You slowly lost contact with these friends. You didn't know which new church to go to.
Your working life started to become busier and more demanding, and you slowly lost your personal life.
You are always busy and tired. When you finally have some space to breathe, all you want to do is to enjoy your long-lost me-time, maybe chill out for a drink, or binge on Netflix while you can.
Slowly, the thought of spending time with God only feels more difficult, and it makes you feel guilty sometimes like you are not a good Christian.
You tried.
You found a church to go to, you downloaded some Bible and devotional apps to your phone, and sometimes you read the Daily Bread, but it just feels kind of dry.
You're looking for something deeper with God, which you believe is very hard because you don't have the time, you are not always in the mood, and you are not sure where to start.
Then once in a while, you met some friends or colleagues sharing about things they did that you know are not right.
You felt like God was telling you to speak the truth into their lives. But you just didn't know what to say to them and how to say it.
You want to be a blessing to the people in your life, but you feel like a handicapped Christian sometimes.
Like you haven't read enough of the Bible to say the right thing when you want to, or you wonder if God would answer your prayer because you haven't been really praying for a long time.
That was my story before some big challenge I faced at work brought me to my knees, and then I started bringing God back into my working life.
The top 3 all-time struggles with quiet time
It's always because we are busy, tired, or we don't have the right devotional material to start.
So this article is written to help you overcome these 3 obstacles that have been conveniently keeping you from coming back to God day after day.
By the end of this article, you will know exactly what to do to move past any of these struggles when you think about quiet time.
#1: Super busy, no time
After swiping off your third alarm, your morning race begins.
You brush your teeth, hit the shower (if you have time..), get dressed, and off you go.
Oh, by the way, you have picked up the skill to put on your makeup on your way driving to work - thanks to the traffic jam.
And, you tried before but, you really can't wake up any earlier for morning devotional or prayer time because you are already short of sleeping time every night.
How long do you think you need for quiet time? An hour? or 30 minutes?
Okay, let's say your hectic schedule really has no room for an uninterrupted 30-minute slot.
I will show you 3 ways to turn those little moments you have throughout your busy day into worship starting today:
1. Greet God "Good morning"
When: Morning | When your alarm rings.
You get to wake up to a new day! Take a breath or maybe stretch a little under your blanket, and say, "Morning, LORD. Thank You for another new day.
It may feel weird to greet someone you can't see. But if you keep doing this every morning, you will soon experience the difference of seeking God first in a day, even through small ways like this.
2. Refrain from joining in a gossip
When: Noon | At the pantry.
Gossips betray a confidence and separate close friends. It’s true that someone who gossips about others to you will also someday gossip about you to others. Remember that God wants you to love people and not to destroy them. Excuse yourself from the pantry if needed.
What's a better way to worship God than actually putting God's Word into action, right?
3. Commit new concerns to God
When: Throughout the day | During your toilet break
As you go through your day at work, there will be new problems arising. This is a great time to share your concerns about anything with God like He is your best friend and seek His comfort and wisdom to deal with the concerns.
Want more of God in your life? I've prepared everything you need to start spending more quality moments with God again, and it only takes 7 minutes to start with.
#2: Tired, not in the mood
I know, you are so busy with your hectic working life, that when you are finally home from the long working day, all you want to do is to relax and rest and have your me-time, which seldom actually happens because you either continue working from home after dinner or unconsciously stressing yourself up with the unending social media feeds.
The truth is, your best mood for quiet time would probably be hard to come by. Else you would have enjoyed your daily personal prayer and Bible study in the past 3 months.
Think about the last time you were so really earnestly praying and reading the Bible every day.
What made you do that? I am guessing you were going through some really challenging times.
Here are some thoughts to ponder:
Should you wait till another challenging time to get in the mood to seek God daily?
Would you want another challenging time to get you to seek God?
I like to believe that, if problems and worries can bring us to our knees in worship, the opposite would work too: Thanksgiving.
Find reason to thank God for, so that the only natural response you have towards God is a deep gratitude that leads you to praise and worship Him.
Let's try it now, here are 2 ways to come before God with thanksgiving:
1. Think of your most recent testimony
Imagine the worst that could happen if God didn't intervene for your good, and consider how much that means to you for God to be so gracious to you.
2. Take a breath
Are you still breathing? That's one great reason to thank God for right now!
#3: Haven't found the right material
Sometimes when we finally feel the urge to resume our quiet time, instead of going straight to God in prayer or reading the Bible, we end up spending a long time looking for the perfect devotional materials to get started with.
After browsing through 7 websites and downloading 5 Bible study apps, oops time's up! You have got to rush to resume your normal life.
The reality is, there is a rich ocean of resources for quiet time and devotional from the Internet, in your church library, and most probably on your bookshelf at home.
But it's so rare to finally have some time with God, so you really want to make the most out of your quiet time by using the best devotional material. I get it.
Let me ask you: So what if you don't have any devotional to guide your quiet time?
Even if you just simply turn open the Bible and read the first verse that pops up at you and then spend some time talking with God in prayer, I believe God can speak to you through His Word.
All you need is a heart that is hungry to receive from God.
That being said, I promised to help you quickly move past your obstacle to have your quiet time at the beginning of this article. So I will hand you my devotional materials.
You may find better materials out there, but these devotional guides are good enough to help you get started with your quiet time today.
So I specifically prepared 5-Scripture devotionals which include:
The featured Scriptures,
Suggestions on how to apply them to your life,
Guided prayers,
Relevant praise & worship songs.
Just pick any theme that speaks to you and have your quiet time today. It also comes with audio to help you utilize the few minutes you have while driving or riding to work.
And before you go..
I'm curious. What's the craziest quiet time you have spent with God so far?
It could be being immersed in reading the Bible for hours that you didn't realize it was already 3am in the morning, waking up super early to go to the church and pray alone every morning, or understanding a familiar verse on a whole-new mind-blowing level.
No judging or comparison here. Just pure inspirational sharing in the comments below.
Let's talk about what you experienced and how it made you feel.