In the Quiet

 By: Joanne Viola

 

In my post last week, I posed two questions for discussion: What do you need to do to carve out time with God? How do you silence yourself to read and listen for God?

If you would like, you can read the entire post HERE.

A few responded with transparency, admitting two common challenges:

• It is hard to keep from getting distracted.
• It is hard to silence oneself.

We need to be intentional in our devotional time with God. It takes effort to make the time in our day, as well as effort to stay focused.

If we do not make the efforts, devotional time can just become a box we check off, becoming rote and without meaning.

A few things have been helpful, and most beneficial, in my keeping time with God each day. Maybe they will be a help to someone. They are not anything not heard before, but maybe we need to hear them again. Or maybe we just need to return to them.

• Make time with God a priority. Set that time and keep that time. When my children were young, I discovered I needed to get up before them in order to read my Bible and devotional. While it was a struggle in the beginning to rise earlier, it soon developed into my most favorite time of day.
• Read a hard copy of the Bible. In other words, not on technology. There is something about holding my Bible in my hands when reading. Somehow it becomes God’s Word to me, personally. While apps are helpful, they just do not speak to my heart.
• Find a devotional book, a Bible Study, or a Bible reading plan that fits your needs and personality. It will keep you accountable and provide a source to return to day after day. You can try Woman to Woman’s 2026 Reading Plan HERE if you should so choose.

“When I pray, I talk to God; when I read the Bible, God talks to me.”
(D.L. Moody)

It is as we are in God’s Word, that His Word will get into us doing the much needed work of molding our lives.

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. 
It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, 
cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. 
It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” 
(Hebrews 4:12, NLT) 

“All that I need is to be with You
And in the quiet hear Your voice

Word of God speak.”
(by Peter Kipley / Bart Millard)

 

 

Reflection: 
What change will you make this week to quiet yourself before God?

 

Photo by Jessica Favaro on Unsplash