Most Christians I know (including myself) value having personal devotional time set aside for reading the Bible, praying, worshiping, memorizing Bible verses, and engaging in other faith-building activities. I like routines, so I have always sought to have my devotional time (or “quiet time,” which is the most common term I hear used to describe these activities) at the same time each day.
For many years, I set aside time early in the morning. I even wrote once about how this was part of getting a good start to my day. However, for the past year, I have really struggled with this. I’ve been so tired in the mornings that my quiet times have been of very poor quality or I’ve missed them altogether because I slept through my alarm.
The reality is that it’s often tough for busy moms to find time for their quiet times. I’ve written about this before and shared some wonderful insights on how to make it happen from veteran moms.
What worked for me when I wrote these posts a few years ago isn’t working for me now. Though changing my approach was a challenge, it was necessary if I was going to have quiet times. My biggest challenge in changing was this: I felt like I had to have my quiet time in the morning.
The church I attended during my college years placed a lot of emphasis on having a daily quiet time. No pastor ever said from the pulpit that mornings were the only time one could have a quiet time, but they certainly believed that mornings were superior. Using accounts from their own experiences and Bible verses such as Mark 1:35 (when Jesus went out in the morning to a solitary place to pray), they strongly encouraged congregants to have a quiet time first thing in the morning.
I took this to heart and for nearly 20 years I set my alarm for early in the morning so I could get up and have my personal devotional time. Even when I began struggling to get up in the morning and I was just plodding through my Bible reading so I could check it off my list, I assured myself that it was okay because I was still meeting with the Lord first thing in the morning.
A few months ago I finally stepped back and asked myself this: When is the best time of day for your quiet time? Believe it or not, the Bible doesn’t say! In fact, the Bible doesn’t mention quiet times as we conceptualize them. There are certainly Bible verses that tell us it is important to study Scripture, pray, etc. Thus, we can argue that quiet times are biblical because they facilitate these things. However, the Bible doesn’t specify precise times of day or how many minutes we should spend engaged in these activities. In fact, the Bible seems to indicate that our focus on God, our worship, our thanksgiving, etc. should be a 24/7 type of thing (Deuteronomy 6:6-8, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
The way I see it, a good quality, consistent quiet time at 9:00 at night is superior to a poor quality, inconsistent quiet time at 5:00 in the morning. Sure, the morning quiet time sets a good foundation for the day, shows that the quiet time is a priority, and gets it done so you don’t get distracted and forget to have the time, but these things are kind of irrelevant if you spend the quiet time struggling to stay awake, struggling to focus, or you are engaging in it begrudgingly.
In other words, the best time of day to have a quiet time is the time of day that works for you. For many, this is first thing in the morning. For some, it is before bed. For others, this will mean driving to work early and having some devotional time in the car while sitting in the parking lot. For others, it may mean eating your lunch alone while at work so you can get your devotional time in then. For me, the time that is working is after I put my kids in bed at night. Figure out what works for you and do it, even if it is unconventional. A quiet time at a seemingly odd time of day is superior, in my opinion, to not having a quiet time at all.
Have you ever struggled to find time to have a consistent quiet time? If so, what solutions have you found? What has ended up working for you?
Shared at the following:
Encouraging Hearts and Home, Busy Monday, Over the Moon, and Grace and Truth.
Shannon, I so appreciate your post and sharing about quiet times. While I am up at 4:30 for a long day, I often have a quite time in the morning, but agree with you, that doesn’t always work for me. I have experienced fantastic quiet times at other times of the day often. The quality of the time is more important than the time of day.
Thanks for sharing from your experience, Donna. I think your final statement (that the “quality of the time is more important than the time of day”) sums it up quite nicely!
Thank you for this gracious treatment of a crucial topic. I have a dear friend in her 90’s who struggled for years to have a morning quiet time, but finally realized she just functions better at night.
We need to give each other grace!
Absolutely, Michele. There aren’t “rules” about these things. There are good arguments for having a quiet time at various times of day. In the end, because Scripture doesn’t spell out specifics, we definitely need to have grace with one another.
Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. We appreciate your shares. They have been Tweeted Pinned. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too! Please stay safe and healthy. Come party with us at Over The Moon! Catapult your content Over The Moon! @marilyn_lesniak @EclecticRedBarn
Thanks, Marilyn!
For years I had my quiet time in the morning, before work. Most mornings it was rushed or not at all, days off were hit and Miss. I was not feeling fulfilled or refreshed. It was a task I’m sad to say.
Now that I’m retired I’m still struggling with morning quiet time. Part of it is my hubby decided to go back to work after he retired. His hours are all over the place. So I’m going to try Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:30pm Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday 10:00am. That way he will be at work and the house will be quiet. We have tried joint quiet time it didn’t work out too well. I go down rabbit trails he’s a straight to the point guy.
I want quality over quantity, time really doesn’t matter just as long as you’re in the Word, praying and spending time with God.
I’m implementing my new plan tomorrow!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Vivian. Many of us know what it is like for quiet times to became a task that is not refreshing. I agree with you that quality is better than quantity. I hope your new approach works well!