Welcome to Day Four of 1,000 Word Spring! Today I want to publish a bit of a follow up to yesterday’s post on religious practices, specifically the practices of Bible reading and prayer.
To get started, let’s look at a few of the different ways Christians have done their “Quiet Time” with God, some things I’ve done in the past, and then I’ll recommend something you should try.
Devotional Books
These are plentiful. Some examples include Streams in the Desert, My Utmost For His Highest, or The Word For You Today. I’ve used each of them myself and enjoy them. They’re excellent sources of encouragement and a supplement to time in Scripture. However, I would strongly encourage you to never let them serve as a substitute for actual time in Scripture. Nothing can replace that!
Reading Plans
You can find as many of these as you want online, and there’s a ton of plans on the YouVersion Bible App. You probably have it on your phone right now. These are really great resources because they help keep you on track as you read through Scripture, so you always know what you should read next in your quiet time. The One Year Bible is good because it takes you through a variety of readings from Scripture each day: a bit from the Old Testament, a bit from the New Testament, a bit from Psalms and a bit from Proverbs. This will get through the whole Bible in a year, which is something we should all do regularly.
Here are a couple reading plans I recommend.
The f260 Bible Plan is by far the best plan I’ve ever completed. This is a great plan because you can get through the majority of Scripture in just 260 days by reading a couple chapters a day for five days a week, leaving you space to catch up any missed days on the weekend. There are also f260 Old Testament and f260 New Testament plans, if you prefer to go through the Old Testament or New Testament in 260 days. Find the main f260 plan here in the YouVersion Bible app.
The 30 Day Shred from Nathan Finochio and TheosU is not for the faint of heart. In fact, I started it earlier this year and bogged down in Numbers. At least I made it past Leviticus! You might have guessed why it’s called the 30 Day Shred: you read the whole Bible in just 30 days without skipping anything. You say, isn’t the point of time in Scripture to let it slowly marinate in my mind? Yes, that’s true. But this plan is valuable because every now and then it’s important to be reminded of Scripture’s big picture in a short time frame. You can also find this plan here on YouVersion, and check out TheosU while you’re at it.
Journaling
If you want to take your quiet time up a notch, give Bible journaling a try. This is the best addition to a reading plan and one of the most transformative practices you can add to your devotional life. Why? Because it forces you to engage the Scripture by writing out what you’re reading and learning rather than passively reading or even skimming. There are plenty of ways to do this, and what really matters is that you’re engaging the Scripture in some way. But I’m pretty fond of the HEAR method. Here’s how it works.
H
Prayerfully read through the reading for the day. Then, take out a journal or a notes app on your phone. Highlight one of the verses that stood out to you from the passage and write it on the page.
E
Explain what’s going on in the passage. Who is the author? Who is his intended audience? What’s the context of the passage you’ve highlighted? How does it fit with what was going on before or after it? What do you think the author is trying to communicate to his intended audience?
A
Now that you have a good grasp on what the author intends to communicate in the passage you’ve highlighted, spend a few minutes thinking and praying about how this applies to you and your own circumstances. What next step can you take today because of what God has shown you through His word? Is there something He wants you to act on? Whatever it is, write it out.
R
Once you know the application, it’s time to respond. Take a few minutes to write a prayer. Sometimes we need wisdom about how to respond even when we already know our next step. Get that out on the paper as you pray and process your response.
Congratulations! You’ve just spent some time engaging with Scripture. Now, imagine compounding that practice over the course of a year and covering the whole Bible…
The Book of Common Prayer and the Daily Office
Finally, I want to share something I’ve been trying for a few months. The Book of Common Prayer is a prayer guide that reflects the ancient patterns of daily prayer Christians have used since the earliest days of the Church, and you can access it all in an easy to use app on your phone. (You can get a hard copy of the book too, but I’d recommend starting with the app).
I’ve never had too much of a struggle reading the Bible because I just love to read. It comes naturally to me. Prayer, however, has always been a huge struggle. It’s often hard for me to stay focused, and then my lack of focus can get discouraging. The BCP and the Daily Office have been game changing because they’re a solid combination of prayer and Bible reading.
From the app:
Daily Morning Prayer and Daily Evening Prayer are the established rites (offices) by which, both corporately and individually, God’s people annually encounter the whole of the Holy Scriptures, daily confess their sins and praise Almighty God, and offer timely thanksgivings, petitions, and intercessions.
It’s set up to guide you through four different prayer times a day, the most extensive of which are the morning and evening prayers. There’s a time for confession of sin in the morning and the evening, which is very helpful and something we often lack with our modern quiet times, I think. There are a handful of written prayers from various figures in Church history, but don’t let that scare you. These prayers have served as a springboard or supplement to my own, and I think my prayer life has grown because they’ve trained me to pray what Christians have prayed together throughout Church history rather than only focusing on my needs for the day. And then, of course, there are Bible readings at each prayer time, usually an Old Testament lesson, a couple Psalms (30 day cycle or 60 day cycle), and a New Testament lesson. So it kinda follows the One Year Bible pattern.
I know, that sounds like a lot. In a way it is, but once you get used to it it’s really not. I was really convicted when I first started, because these four daily prayer times didn’t fit very well into my American-Christianized schedule that only gave God a few minutes in the morning rather than consciously turning to Him throughout the day… If you give it a chance, it will really start shifting your priorities.
Like I said earlier, no one plan is better than another. There are tradeoffs in each; the important thing is that you have a regular time alone with God. But I hope this helps move you forward on your journey!
What’s your quiet time look like? Let me know in the comments section!
1,374 words before editing. See you tomorrow!