When Is the Best Time for Quiet Time?

As a disciple of Jesus, quiet time is something we do every day. It is time we set apart to build a deeper relationship with God. Although ideally our relationship with God is nurtured throughout the day, quiet time becomes a marker that we are prioritizing one best portion of our time each day for God.

A question that often comes up is, when is the best time for quiet time? Although there is no specific verse in the Bible that determines when quiet time must be done, we can learn one or two valuable things from the example of Jesus.

    Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up and went out. He went to a quiet place topray there. (Mark 1:35)

Jesus offered the first part of His day to God. Have we ever imagined how busy Jesus was in a single day? He preached and taught, walked everywhere, ministered to the needs of many people, and was invited to eat in people’s homes. In fact, the night before He hadquiet time that morning, He had just cast out an evil spirit and healed Simon’s mother-in-law. It says that that night the people of the town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many kinds of diseases and cast out many demons (Mark 1:23-34). Just hearing about it is exhausting!

 

Motivation for Quiet Time in the Morning

So, what motivated Jesus to havequiet time that morning? Surely Jesus was fully aware of His need to remain close to the Father. That relationship was His fuel to face a day that was busy and full of challenges. If relationship with the Father was the first thing Jesus focused on in the morning, what about us?

We have surely often heard all kinds of reasons. “Ah, getting up early is hard.” “I feel more focused at night.” “How could there be any time in the morning? I have to leave for school very early!” “I’m a night owl, not a sparrow.” “I don’t want quiet time to become just a routine!”

For some people, this really is not easy. But what if spending the morning with God could actually build a better relationship with Him? When we spend our first moments in the morning with God, doesn’t that show that we prioritize this relationship above the other things in life?

If we have ever woken up very early, we surely know that the morning is one of the quietest times of the day. This situation allows us to concentrate fully and be free from distractions. What we think about first in the morning also often affects our attitude and mood throughout the day. Filling our hearts and minds with prayer and the word of God will help us focus our hearts and minds on what is good and important for that day.

Quiet time in the morning can also release our burdens and worries, as well as the pressures of the previous day, because we have already surrendered everything to Him in prayer. quiet time in the morning. We need to experience it ourselves in order to truly feel its benefits.

What Can Help Us Wake Up Early?

Perhaps we have often heard these suggestions. But have we persevered in doing them? Let us refresh our minds once again.

• Do not go to bed too late – The struggle to wake up in the morning begins the day before, namely on the night before we go to sleep! Set your bedtime each night and train yourself to be disciplined with it. Aren’t many of the things we do at night ineffective and caused by a lack of self-control? Do I really need to watch this drama series, check my social media accounts again? Do I have to answer that chat right now, or reply to that email tonight as well? Some of us have unusual work schedules. But that should not be an obstacle to using our first moments after waking up for quiet time.
• Set the same time to wake up every day – When our bodies are trained to sleep and wake at the same time every day, we will sleep more soundly and wake up more refreshed.
• Take responsibility for getting yourself out of bed – This is your first responsibility of the day! Do not depend on other people; take full responsibility to make sure this happens.
• Do whatever is needed to fully wake up – Wash your face. Make coffee. Do some exercise in place. Anything to make you truly wake up and stay alert. Do not keep pressing the "snooze" button on your phone. One thing my husband does is set an alarm on one of the tablets placed in the family room (downstairs), while our bedroom is on the second floor! It really is annoying to hear that alarm in the morning. It takes major self-denial to get up and go downstairs to turn it off. But it works quite well to wake us up!

Morning is a very special time. There is a different scent in the air, and the silence before the bustle of the day begins brings its own peace into the soul. This is one of the most beautiful times we can give to God. Try doing your quiet time in the morning and notice how your relationship with Him grows more and more. I want to close this article with a beautiful psalm from David, God’s beloved:

Awake, my soul,

awake, harp and lyre,

I will awaken the dawn!

I will give thanks to You

among the nations, O Lord,

I will singpraises to You

among the peoples

For Your steadfast love is great to the heavens,

and Your faithfulness to the clouds.

Be exalted above the heavens, O God!

Let Your glory be over all the earth!

-

Related Articles:

• Quiet Time & Prayer Doesn’t Have to Be Boring, You Know!
• Spiritual Disciplines: Why and How?
• Waiting for an Answer to Prayer vs. Manipulating God
• The Importance of Self-Awareness in Spiritual Life
• Knowing God’s Attributes Through the Psalms

-