What is a quiet time?

It is a very good habit to have our hearts and thoughts occupied with the Lord and His Word, from the moment we wake in the morning. Many believers know the joy of keeping a regular “quiet time” with the Lord and His Word. Do you? It is not easy to find time each day for this. Many believers have totally disorganised lives, and feel dissatisfied as they seem to accomplish nothing really positive. But you will always recognise a spiritual and fruitful believer — his life-style is an organised life-style. “My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up” (Ps. 5:3). Many men of God in the Bible got up early in the morning to do what the Lord required of them. Of the Lord Jesus we read that He got up “a great while before day”, to pray. This is indeed the secret of the victorious life, a life of prayer and study of the Word of God.

There was a refreshing orderliness implied in this gathering. May we too learn the discipline of order in this matter, taking a particular time each morning for reading of the Word of God and prayer, for meditation and study. The amount of time need not be long, but consistent. A short time for each of these (reading, prayer, meditation and study), when done in humble communion with the Lord, will provide precious food for each day. This is gathering by labour, and by this the soul will increase. Yet the gathering is distinct from the eating. We may gather intellectually without the eating and digesting that makes the truth a vital part of ourselves. If we gather more than we eat, we cannot keep it till the next day: it will breed worms and stink. Let us gather just what we may assimilate. This process of spiritual digestion will take place through honest exercise of heart in lowly meditation.

Daniel, too, cultivated the same habit, and nothing could prevent him from kneeling down in his chamber three times a day and praying and giving thanks before his God (Dan. 6:10). Alas! what trivial things we permit to rob us of our time for prayer!

Call the practice "legal" if you will, but I wish there were much more of such legality abroad. I earnestly commend to every young believer the habit of reserving a certain time every day for private intercourse with God. Early in the morning is the best of times, and immediately before retiring at night.

We have in Scripture private prayer spoken of, and also united, and it is well to consider both. The habit of private prayer, or such a state of constantly felt dependence on God as shall lift the heart to Him on all occasions, is set before us in such words as "Pray without ceasing;" that is, wherever we are, whether in the house, or place of business, or walking the streets, to have the heart habitually going out to God about all our need. But there is another thing which nothing else will supply; it is going into a secret place to pray — to be alone with God, to pour out the heart to Him, and wait upon Him. We find the Lord going out into a solitary place "to pray, going up" into a mountain," and "into the wilderness," to pray. Our Lord expressed His mind for us on this point most touchingly when He said, "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." (Matt. 6:6.) Here we have, first, the believer going into a secret place, away from every human eye and ear, for the express purpose of praying to his Father. 2nd. The fact announced that our Father is in that secret place — "Thy Father which is in secret." 3rd. The encouragement that those who do thus seek the Father shall not fail to be openly rewarded." How blessed this is!

With the ever-increasing urgency of our daily lives there is some danger of losing sight of the need of quiet in the Lord's presence. We do not speak of stated seasons for reading the Scriptures and for prayer (which all believers will seek to have), but rather of that which was seen in David when, after the Lord's gracious communication to him concerning his desire to build the temple, he went in and sat before the Lord. It is true that his heart overflowed, while in this attitude, in thanksgiving, praise, and prayer; but this, we apprehend, was the result of his meditation upon the message he had received. Sitting before the Lord, Nathan's words sank deep into the king's heart, and he comprehended, as he otherwise could not have done, the greatness of the favour which had been bestowed upon him and upon his house. It is this posture of soul which we desire to commend for the consideration of the Lord's people.

Individual, secret prayer and communion with God constitute the foundation of all godliness. Neither the prayer meeting nor the Lord's service is a substitute for them. They are the safeguard of the soul; where they fail, a fall is not far off.

Read the Word daily. Set apart a fixed time for the daily reading of the Word. When left to be read at any time, it is frequently not read at all. Keep to your set time, do not allow trivial engagements, social functions, or business calls to deprive you of it. God and the soul first, other things fall into their proper places after.

Read the Word prayerfully. In prayer you speak to God; through the Word God speaks to you. While your eyes rest on the sacred page, let your heart lifted up to God with the prayer, that the eye of faith may be opened to “behold wondrous things” out of His law (Ps. 119:18). Remember that the Spirit of God is your Teacher, that He by whose inspiration these words of God were written, alone can unfold their spiritual meaning to your understanding and your heart (1 Cor. 2:10 -14), and make them strength and comfort to your soul. When you discover some fresh aspect of truth, when you dig out some hitherto unknown treasure, when some new ray of heaven's light enters your heart, meditate on it, speak to God about it, praise Him for it, ask Him to make it your soul's personal possession, to make it good to you experimentally.

Most of us are very busy, we seem to find ourselves with far too much to do. We read the word, we pray and then move on to something else. Of course, it is good, it is essential to hold on to a regular habit of reading the scriptures and praying - but what about this: "My eyes stay open during the night watches that I may meditate of thy word" [verse 148]. Choosing to stay awake at night in order to reflect, think about, mentally chew over what God has written. Meditation was clearly is of enormous importance to the psalmist, and several times we find him mentioning it. How important is it to us? All night sessions may not be practical for many of us, but giving time for quiet reflection on what God has written should be habitual for each of us.

Prayer is the atmosphere of the believer, and is as necessary for the new life as common air is for the natural life. And, first, private prayer which the Lord speaks of in Matt. 6:6. This is the practical starting-point for holiness of life (Acts 9:11). Can there be any living to God at all without it? In the closet we realise our nearness to the Father; there we hear the word intended for our own souls alone. May we not say there in anticipation the white stone is given with the new name written thereon, which no one knows but he that receives it? With what strength we go forth to meet the conflicts of each day when we have received the foretaste of the hidden manna! This is truly for the soul the needed sufficient bread day by day.

With the hearing the word of the Lord Jesus there is also to be prayer; and in the first verse of chapter 11 the disciples desire Jesus to teach them to pray. We shall be kept fresh in our spirits, and be enabled to do the will of God, if there is the desire for divine teaching regarding the word and prayer. Every effort of the enemy is put forth to divert us from prayer; and how often we allow ourselves to be hindered from prayer and to be otherwise engaged when secluded for prayer. The Lord spent whole nights in prayer and communion with His God and Father. Faithful men have long since called attention to this, that declension of soul begins so often with neglect of private prayer, and this is followed with the giving up of attendance at the public prayer meeting. It is not a matter of saying prayers, but of being before the Lord in the spirit of dependence and pouring out our hearts to Him in all kinds of prayer; and seeking too the blessedness of true and deep communion with the Father and the Son. So many know what it is to approach God regarding their own interests, yet are little conscious of the joy of being occupied in communion with the interests of God in this world, or with the counsels of divine grace that centre in the Son.