“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35 (NIV)
To get to know God and grow as a Christian, you have to set aside specific time to spend with God. But when should that be?
I have a simple answer for you: The best time is when you’re at your best! Give God the best part of your day—when you are the freshest and most alert.
It might be tempting to put off your time with God until you have completed your to-do list for the day. But don’t try to serve God with your leftover time. He deserves your best.
Your best time may be different from someone else’s. Some people are freshest in the morning, while others perk up in the evening. For most of us, however, morning seems to be the best time.
It was Jesus’ own practice to rise early to pray and meet with the Father: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35 NIV).
In the Bible, many godly men and women rose early to meet with God. Here are just a few of them. Look up the Scripture passages to learn more about what their early morning times with God were like.
· Abraham: Genesis 19:27
· Moses: Exodus 34:4
· Job: Job 1:5
· Hannah and Elkanah: 1 Samuel 1:19
· Jacob: Genesis 28:18
· David: Psalm 5:3; 57:7-8
If you want to read even more about what the Bible says about early-morning times with God, look up Psalm 143:8, Isaiah 26:9, and Ezekiel 12:8.
If you’re already in the habit of having one daily quiet time with God, you might consider having two—one in the morning and one at night. Dawson Trotman, founder of the discipleship organization The Navigators, used to have code letters for his evening quiet time: HWLW, which stood for “His Word the Last Word.” He practiced that through the years as a way of ending the day with his thoughts fixed on the Lord.
Whatever time you set, be consistent in it. Schedule it on your calendar—make an appointment with God as you would with anyone else.
In other words, make a date with Jesus! No one likes to be stood up. So find the time when you are at your best, put it on your calendar, and keep it at all costs.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
Talk It Over
Have you tried to have a set, daily quiet time with God before? What worked well? What was challenging?
When during your day are you most alert? How could you carve out time for a quiet time during that part of the day?
Get out your calendar. For each day over the next week, block out a specific time to spend with the Lord.
This devotional © 2023 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You probably know you should have a daily quiet time with God. But when should you do it? Find out how to give God your best in your quiet time in today’s #DailyHope devotional.
Rick Warren Bio
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church, one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life. His book The Purpose Driven Church was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Pastor Rick created The PEACE Plan to address the five global giants—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. His Daily Hope broadcast and daily devotionals are offered around the world. You can listen to the broadcast or sign up for the free devotionals at PastorRick.com.
Tags
40 Days in the Word – 2023, God’s Word, Bible Study, Knowing God, Choices, Spiritual Growth, Mark 1
Broadcast Series: 40 Days in the Word – 2023
Sermon Series: 40 Days in the Word (2012)
Sermon:
This article was adapted from Dynamic Bible Study Methods (Chariot Victor Books) © Copyright 1989 by Rick Warren. Used by permission. All rights
