Picture this.
Alarms are blaring. People are rushing around the house. Everyone’s late. Everyone’s stressed. Doors slam, cars speed off, and the day explodes into chaos.
That’s life for most of us.
Everything moves fast, and because the world never slows down, we start to believe we’re not allowed to either. We stay busy even when we don’t need to be busy. And if we’re not careful, days go by where we do everything except spend time with Jesus.
But Jesus lived a busy life too.
Crowds followed Him. People demanded His time. Needs never stopped. If anyone knew pressure and pace, it was Him. So what did He do?
He got alone with the Father.
Mark 1:35 says that very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus left the house, went to a solitary place, and prayed. Not because it was convenient. Not because He had free time. But because He needed that time with God.
Think about that.
The Savior of the world began His day with silence, solitude, and prayer. If Jesus needed a quiet time, how much more do we?
This isn’t optional. It’s essential. Quiet time is the fuel for your faith, the anchor in your chaos, the place where your heart lines up with God before the world starts pulling at it.
So today we’re going to break this down using what Jesus modeled in Mark 1:35. We’re going to walk through the Power P’s of Quiet Time, and we'll add a few more things so we understand not just when and where, but how to meet with God in a way that actually changes you.
We make time for what matters to us. If we have no time at all to spend time with the Lord, it shows us really how much we care about that relationship with Him.
“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.””
Matthew 26:41 ESV
Keep watch and what? Pray!
This is a command! Pray!
The only way God can speak to us is through his word. God speaks through his word and we communicate to him through prayer.
It's obvious that we don't all have it together, but He does. We need His help.
If we're not reading then how do we hear?
If we don't pray, then how is He hearing from us?
If we don't make it a priority, then none of it's happening.
Matthew 6:33- "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
It clearly teaches order: God first, everything else follows.
“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
Pslam 63:1 ESV
“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Matthew 6:6 ESV
Make a place! Where's yours?
It doesn't need to be your bed. You'll be counting sheep instead of talking to the Sheppard. Don't let it be so comfortable that you'll fall asleep.
Make sure it's away from distractions.
I think it's impossible to have a quiet time in a place that ain't quiet.
We need to carve out enough time to forget about time.
We need to be people who prioritize our time where we say,....
"I will not see the face of man before I seek the face of God."
Early- morning
Minimum- at least 30 minutes
Regular- daily
What does this time consist of?
⁃ Scripture- We don't just read scripture just to read scripture. We read scripture so it can read us.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Psalms 119:105 ESV
⁃ Silence- Be Still
““Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!””
Psalms 46:10 ESV
Be still and know- is surrender
⁃ Supplication- asking or begging God in prayer
Matthew 7:7-8- Ask, Seek, Knock is continuous and never ending
present active imperative tense. That means they carry the idea of continuous, ongoing action, not a one-time event.
⁃ Singing- David shouted and danced and praised God with all he had
We see that 2 Samuel 6:5
And also his psalms were poetry and songs about who God is.
“David didn’t hold anything back in worship; he praised God with his voice, his body, and his whole heart.”
Don't let your shout go out. It's not weird to sing and praise Him during our quiet time.
We have a reason and sing and praise Him.
“For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”
2 Corinthians 1:20 ESV
“Praise isn’t just for the crowd, let your heart shout in your quiet time.”
We need to bring things to our quiet time.
⁃ Different Bibles (translations)
⁃ Commentaries
⁃ Prayer list (people, places, church, etc.)
⁃ Devotional (new morning mercies, my utmost for your highest)
This will vary for all of us. Find your style and what works best for you.
““And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Matthew 6:5-15 ESV
This really isn't saying to pray this prayer exactly like this, but use it as a guide.
Have you ever heard of acts?
Adoration- deep love and respect
Confession- confessing sins
Thanksgiving- thanking God
Supplication- begging God for something
⁃ Open with a brief prayer or maybe even put on a song to sing
⁃ Read your Bible (I would consider picking a book and cover it all)
⁃ Pray throughout- pray it back to Him.
⁃ Use prayer list
Sometimes you can do this with others.
⁃ The Bible world is the real world.
1 John 2:17- this world is passing away
2 Corinthians 4:18- temporary
We can pray that Gods will will be done here on earth
We can pray and ask God to use us here. Let us be here but not of here.
Pray for those who have not yet trusted in Him.
⁃ God really desires time with us
“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”
John 4:23 ESV
God wants daily fellowship with those who really love Him
⁃ We need it more than anything
Daniel had quiet time 3x's a day- Daniel 6:10
And we already discussed Jesus in Mark 1:35
That's radical!
Radical Commitment
Regular Appointment
Right Equipment
There's a great purpose for you meeting with God.
It is not primarily for all the things you can receive from Him, but for us to be able to meet with him.
Piper- God is most glorified in us when we're most satisfied in him
Analogy- A young Christian came to his pastor and said, “Pastor, I read my Bible, I pray, I am serious about it, but I don’t seem to be getting anything out of it; what is wrong with me?”
The pastor quietly prayed and then said, “See that wicker basket on my desk? Empty it.” The boy did. Then the pastor said, “Now go fill it with water from the fountain and bring it back.”
The boy protested, “Pastor, that basket won’t hold water!” The pastor said, “Do it anyway.” He went, filled it, and of course all the water spilled through; when he returned, the pastor said, “Yes, the basket won’t hold water, but look, it is a lot cleaner, isn’t it?”
The point is, don’t worry about what you are getting out of your quiet time; just show up, obey, and pour yourself out. Like any relationship, growth is gradual; quiet time cultivates your relationship with God, even when you don’t see immediate results.
In the Old Testament times, the high priest was put in place to protect the place of God
“But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines, and the Lord worked a great victory.”
2 Samuel 23:12 ESV
Shammah held his ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines
We have to hold our ground and guard our quiet time.
There are hundreds of things that can compete with our time.
Guard it with your life.
I've asked the Lord to make my day miserable until I spend time with Him
I don't care what's going on in our lives. We have to remove or add whatever needs to happen to make sure it gets done.
⁃ Remove the distractions
⁃ Add time to the schedule
“Hold your ground; no distraction, no excuse, no compromise.
“If it’s important to God, it should be non‑negotiable in your schedule.”
In a world that never slows down, our quiet time is where we stop, show up, and pour ourselves out to God, wholeheartedly, intentionally, and without compromise. Because, it’s in that daily rhythm of priority, place, prayer, praise, and protection that our souls are strengthened, our hearts are aligned, our souls are fed, and God is glorified.”
And then we can go tackle our day.