10 Achievable tips for a meaningful quiet time with God

Having a meaningful quiet time with God is not always easy. We might plan on having a daily devotional time but sometimes things get in the way, like busyness or distractions, or we maybe we just don’t know where to start.

Achievable Tips for a Meaningful Quiet Time with God

Do you have a desire to be in God’s Word daily but find yourself missing days because you haven’t set aside the time? Or when you do schedule time with God you get distracted or feel lost with what you are reading?

I know I’ve been there.

But over the years I have learned some tips to help make daily Bible study doable and meaningful.

I’ve divided these 10 tips for a meaning quiet time with God into two categories – first some tips on how to get prepared so you can develop a beneficial daily quiet time routine, and second some tips on what to do to make your Bible Study effective.

Tips for Developing a Daily Quiet Time with God

There are a number of things you can do to prepare and equip yourself for a regular quiet time.

Find the right time of day

One of the best things to do first is choose the right time for you to sit down and study God’s Word. This will depend on your circumstances, and may even change as you go through different seasons of your life. Early morning suits many people, as you can start the day in God’s presence before the busyness of the day sets in. But if you are not a morning person, or you have an early start with your job or children this might not suit you.

Some stay-at-home-moms or work-at-home-mums like to have their daily devotions after the children have gone to school, while they have a hot beveridge.

For other people, the evening suits them best.

I have tried various times in different seasons of my life, and for now the early morning works best for me.

Create a meaningful environment

After deciding on the ‘when’ now let’s think about the ‘where’! This might be a favourite chair in a sunny spot; a quiet room away from distractions; or sitting at the dining room table where you can spread out your books.

Wherever you decide is best for you, you will want to have your resources ready – and that’s next!

Gather your Bible Study resources

There are so many great resources to help you with your Quiet Time. A good study Bible, like the new ESV Women’s Study Bible, is a great place to start, and then some other resources like a Bible Handbook or Dictionary. The Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary is full of illustrations, charts and maps and would be a great addition to your Bible Study resources. I’ve also chosen a Bible Study from Lisa Harper (who I love!) and a Devotional Book from Joyce Meyer which is very popular.

Further Reading: 12 of the Best Study Bibles for Women

Make it a habit

Now that you have decided on a time and place you need to make a commitment to stick to it! You need to make it part of your daily schedule. You could set an alarm or put reminders in your phone. Many Bible Study Apps like youversion have Bible reading plans with the option to set a reminder each day.

Find Accountability

One of the best ways to be consistent with your daily quiet time with God is to find accountability partners. This could be through a home group, friends, or even an online Bible Study group.

Tips for a Meaningful Quiet Time with God

Now that we are prepared, let’s move onto the content. What can we do to make sure our daily quiet time with God is meaningful and effective?

Begin by preparing your heart

We are not going to get much out of our Bible Study if we just grab our Bibles, read a few verses and then rush on with our day. (But, yes, I’ll confess I have been guilty of that sometimes!)

First, we must prepare our hearts and be ready to hear from God. We do this through prayer, and perhaps listening to worship music. Read my post on Bible verses to pray before reading the Bible for some ideas.

Use a Bible Study, Reading Plan and Bible Study Method

Now it’s time to read the Bible!

In order to get the most out of reading the Bible, it is good to follow a plan. This could be reading through a book of the Bible, following a Reading Plan or working through a Bible Study resource or devotional. This helps you to understand the Bible and keep in context.

I also recommend using a Bible Study Method like my 5L Bible Study Method to help you focus on the text, learn about it and apply it to your life. This is a really important part of making your quiet time with God meaningful.

Further Reading: How to Read the Bible Effectively

Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you

While it is great to have a plan or structure to follow, you don’t have to always stick to the plan or do it the way other people do. If you read a passage one day that you want to spend more time on then don’t feel like you have to rush on to the next part of the plan the next day. Allow God to guide you and speak to you through his word.

Meditate on verses or themes that stand out to you

A great way to do this is to do a word study or verse mapping of words, themes or verses that stand out to you or you want to find out more about.

Engage with the Scriptures

Finally, you will get the most out of your quiet time with God if you engage with the Scriptures. Take notes, highlight or journal to keep you engaged. and write out verses and your prayers.

Here are some great resources you could add to your collection: This journal is beautiful on the inside and out, the Bible Verse Journal encourages you to focus on one verse at a time, this Bible marker kit is so handy, and I just thought I would add this stainless steel travel mug for fun!

I hope that you have been helped and encouraged with these tips for making your quiet time with God meaningful. The most important thing to remember is that this is a time when we communicate with God – and what a privilege that is! Don’t get legalistic and see this time as something you have to do, but instead enjoy the time soaking in his Word and his presence.