Time alone with God. It looks different for different people. It varies according to our season of life.
Some favor a brief quiet time in the early morning hours. Others prefer extended periods of immersion. Some aim for the same amount of time daily. Others adjust their expectations to fit their schedule.
No matter what it looks like, time alone with God fills the deep longing of our soul. It brings us to His feet and helps us grow in holiness.
Yet, even knowing the importance of meeting alone with God, we are plagued with inconsistency in bringing the time about.
And even when we sit to enjoy it, there are times when our time alone with God is automated and mechanical. Something to be checked off our to-do list rather than what it is meant to be.
When time with God is one of inconsistency, when it seems stale, stalled, or stagnant, how do we
When our time with God seems stale, stalled, or even stagnant, what can we do to breathe fresh life into it?
Ideas for Enjoying More Consistent Time Alone with God
Eliminate Hurry
In the frenzy and flurry of activity, it is often our time alone with God that falls victim. Running here and there, doing this and that, juggling a thousand plates. When something has to give, we often choose our time alone with God.
Get this! Pastor and professor, Dallas Willard, explained that there is a BIG difference between being busy and being hurried.
Busy, he said, is a condition of our outer world. Busyness is the state of having many things to do. It’s the running here and there, doing this and that, and juggling a thousand plates.
Hurry, on the other hand, is a problem of the soul. Hurry is being so preoccupied with myself and the things I have to do that I am no longer able to be fully present with God, or with anyone else.
“You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”
Dallas Willard
One way to be more consistent in our time alone with God is to eliminate hurry from our lives. With great intention, we must persistently and tenaciously make time alone with God our first priority.
Ask
Be honest with yourself here. When you have a need, how often do you find yourself trying to figure things out on your own?
I’ll be honest with you. That is me, so much more often that I would like to admit. One day instead of wasting time spinning my wheels and suffering prolonged frustration, I am going to learn to ASK first.
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7
Do you want to enjoy more consistent time alone with God? Yes? Then ask.
Learn to ask God for what you need. It’s that simple. Do you need self-discipline? Faithfulness? Desire? Help in learning to prioritize? Whatever it is, ask that He would fill you and teach you so that you might more consistently spend time alone with Him each day.
Grant Yourself Permission
I have not met a person yet who has not at one time (or more) felt that their time alone with God couldn’t use a boost. I know I’ve been there – feeling in a rut, going through the motions.
When we find ourselves in this place, it’s time to step back from the same ole, same ole and grant yourself permission to try something new.
Granted, this is not always as easy as it might sound. Trying new things requires effort and movement from our cozy little comfort zone.
Just as eliminating hurry and asking are acts of conscious decision, so is granting yourself permission to try something new. In fact, in its Latin origin the word permission is a “noun of action.”
When you grant yourself permission, you allow yourself the liberty and the freedom to do something. It’s an opportunity for new possibilities.
Are you constantly the one doing all the talking during your time alone with God. Sit back and listen.
Do you always have your prayer time seated in the same chair? Go for a walk.
Are you in the habit of reading three chapters of the Bible straight through in one sitting? Grab a journal, slow down, and record your thoughts on a single chapter or less.
It is okay to mix it up and do things differently, even if you are not currently in a rut. Different might be exactly what is needed for experiencing a fresh encounter with God.
Go ahead. Grant yourself permission. After all, isn’t our God, Himself, the God of liberty and grace?
Combine Spiritual Disciplines
Each of the spiritual disciplines – Bible reading, prayer, biblical meditation, solitude, and all the others – is absolutely necessary and beneficial to us. However, it turns out that the act of engaging in one singular discipline to the exclusion of the others rarely provides much nourishment to our soul or elicits real spiritual growth.
In support of this principle, Dallas Willard, while speaking on the discipline of prayer, once explained that in order for one to flourish in prayer, to develop an energetic praying life, they needed to practice it with other disciplines such as solitude and/or fasting.
It turns out that the spiritual practices, such as Bible reading and prayer, perform their best work in our souls and elicit the most growth when they are interwoven with one another.
To enjoy more consistent time alone with God, try combining a couple of spiritual disciplines rather than concentrating on just one.
For example, try:
Bible Reading + Prayer
Prayer + A Soul Friend
Bible Reading + Journaling
Self (Soul) Reflection + Prayer
Prayer + Solitude + Journaling
Turn that stale, stalled, and stagnant time alone with God into something you look forward to.
Time alone with God is precious balm for our souls. It is something to be enjoyed consistently. Take the first step by intentionally working to eliminate hurry in your life. Then ask God to teach you and fill you with whatever it is you need to make this time happen. Once you find yourself sitting at His feet, breathe fresh life into your time alone by granting yourself permission to try new things. Make it a time that draws you in and gets you excited. And make it a time of deep soul work and real spiritual growth by combining spiritual disciplines.
