Rethinking “Quiet Times”

What comes to mind when you think of a quiet time? We are often taught that time with God equals us and our bibles at 6 am. But what if we aren’t morning people? What if we are in a season where feeling connected to God through the bible feels challenging? What if we think and connect better when we are moving or in nature? This time will help you consider what tools and practices invite you into God’s presence and how to lay aside the constraints of a traditional quiet time and plan time with God that fits who you are and the season of life you are in.

 

Savoring the Scriptures

For those that are looking for a fresh way to read the scriptures, the ancient practice of Lectio Divina (Latin for Divine Reading) can help us when we feel like we are getting stuck in our heads when we read scripture, purely studying the words but not necessarily connecting with the One who gave them to us.  Lectio Divina combines reading small chunks of scripture with listening prayer and using our holy imagination as a way of communing with God through scripture.

 

Receiving from God

There is often an emphasis in the church on giving to God: loving God, serving God and worshipping God. These are important parts of a life of faith. Yet many of the metaphors Jesus gave us are about receiving from and being dependent on Him: He is the bread of life, living water, the vine from which we receiving all our nutrients. Let’s explore why we have a hard time receiving and how to practice putting ourselves in a posture of receiving all he has for us.

 

Listening Prayer

Prayer is meant to be a two-way conversation between us and God but sometimes in practice, it feels more like a monologue or we find ourselves worrying our prayers, unsure if He hears us. But Jesus said he is the good shepherd and that his sheep “listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out...his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” (John 10) How do we learn to believe that God cares about and wants to speak to us about our lives? And how to do create space and practices to listen for and discern his voice?

 

Learning to be our authentic selves with God through the Psalms

All of us have some feelings we find easier to express to God than others. We may enjoy expressing gratefulness and we may even feel comfortable asking for forgiveness. But what about when we feel disappointed or angry with God? Just as in any deep relationship, honesty is essential for intimacy with God. Do we give ourselves permission to process our true emotions with Him? David did and in the Psalms we have some powerful examples for us of the messy, bold, complicated things that the man after God’s own heart said in prayer.