20/20 Vision Requires the Habit of a Quiet Time
I need Jesus to make my blind eyes see. When I start my day in the Bible, the world's demands and distractions quiet, its privations and temptations fade, and its discouragements and allurements evaporate with the morning mist.
If I’m to walk boldly with 20/20 vision in the face of any upheaval 2020 may hold, I require sight. Does anyone else feel the world is spinning a bit off-kilter?
Political vitriol spews from anyone with a keyboard and an opinion.
Opposing viewpoints on climate, gender, vaccines, theology, etc. are used as clubs to beat each other.
The earth seems to agree as volcanoes spew, fires burn in Australia, and earthquakes rumble.
Countries line up missiles.
Human trafficking climbs.
Boko Haram and Isis, among others, terrorize swaths of humanity, stealing people, especially girls, with horror.
Have we lost our senses? Yes, we have. We’re blind and we need healing.
I can’t change the world’s craziness. But I can change my world by beginning my day with Jesus and steeping myself in His Word. It is the most beneficial habit I’ve ever developed. I’m not talking legalism. I’m suggesting nutrition for the soul and stimulant for the mind.
I look at it this way. I never start a day without coffee. Ever. The caffeine jump starts my mind. If for some reason I don’t have coffee, I develop a headache, feeling sluggish and grumpy until the steaming java makes its way into my trembling hand.
I’m now as addicted to the Word. Why? Because when I miss it, my shaky emotions and my sluggish heart and my grumpy mind focus on myself. I’m blind to others and Jesus. I need the living, active Scripture like I require oxygen. And coffee. (Because I really REQUIRE coffee.)
Corrected Vision
The Bible focuses my heart. It corrects my nearsightedness so I see more than myself. And it corrects my farsightedness so that I’m not controlled by fear and anxiety. It removes my cataracts so that lies, worry, materialism, illness, people-problems, or any other temporal anxiety doesn’t prevent clear sight.
In the '80s and '90s quiet times were stressed. I rarely hear that term thrown around anymore. It sounds more like time-out for a naughty child.
But I still call my daily Bible time my “QUIET TIME.” I love the concept of quieting EVERY VOICE but Jesus, especially my voice. But whatever I call it, the daily discipline of spending time with God and His Word always corrects my vision.
Here’s some ways the Bible brings my fuzzy thinking into clear, sharpness.
It reminds me that I am not in charge.
I’m “blessed” with a weird, over-developed sense of responsibility. It is a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing as it helps me get things done. But as a curse, it weighs me down with tasks and burdens that are not mine to carry. My Quiet Time constantly reminds: God is in charge; He is responsible; He doesn't actually NEED my help.
My quiet time helps me get out of the driver's seat and SEE God on His throne.
Many plans are in a man's heart, but the counsel of the Lord will stand. Proverbs 19:22, (NASB)
It gives me a plan for my day.
Like a builder needs blueprints, I need a plan for my day. It’s so much better when I make my "To Do" list after spending time with the Lord of my life and hearing from Him. It aligns my priorities. Being a Do-er (both a blessing AND curse), I easily jump into doing before I hear God’s plan for the day. Take it from me: NEVER a good idea.
My quiet time corrects my daily vision so I see God's plan instead of my own.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. Isaiah 55:8 (NASB)
It gives me courage for my day.
I am often greeted in the morning by the unwelcome emotions of weariness and melancholy. I wish I bounded out of bed with joy and energy. Alas, that is rare. If I am to have my mind and spirit set on God's way and have them filled with God's energy, courage, and power, I have to intentionally make that happen. More important than my morning coffee is my time in the Word of God.
My quiet time SHOWS me God’s power and so it gives me courage to tackle God's assignments for the day.
Establishing the Habit
Legalism doesn’t have any part in this conversation. I don’t have a quiet time out of obligation or guilt. Jesus isn’t mad at me if I run out the door and and don’t read my Bible first.
I also don’t brush my teeth out of guilt.
I don’t drink morning coffee out of obligation.
I brush teeth out of habit. I drink coffee daily out of addiction. I eat out of hunger.
Same with time in the Word. Once I established the habit of reading and journaling, it became a pattern. I found my appetite for the truth increased and I craved it to the point that when I’m not in it I feel the effects. Just like when I don’t have coffee. I shake. I get a heartache.
The Habit of Quiet Time
Here are my best suggestions for establishing the habit. It will take some effort, but it’s worth it!
Pre-decide:
Set an appointment with yourself for the best time to get quiet with Jesus. This is the best way to make it habitual. Be honest with your schedule in determining the most likely time slot for success.
Find the best time:
First thing in the morning: This might mean getting up a little earlier. Advantage: fewer things competing in this time slot. Disadvantage: EARLY. For some people that makes this option impossible.
When you get in bed: Might mean trying to get to bed a little earlier. Might require buy-in of your spouse, since they’ll need to give you that time. Advantage: Can be a naturally quieter part of the day. Also, sleep with the Word of God as the last conscious thought. Disadvantage: Easy to doze off in the middle of reading. If all your energy is used up, could be difficult to even focus.
Lunchtime: If you have a regular lunch hour, take the first ten minutes and eat your sandwich while you chew of the Bread of life. Advantage: regularity makes the habit-forming easier. The middle of the day can be a very awake/aware time slot. Disadvantage: Crumbs in your Bible?
In the car: I’m too visual for this to be a good option for me. But for you audio people that actually remember what you hear, you could take advantage of YouVersion Bible app and listen to Scripture as you drive. I strongly suggest that you do it at the same time of the day to develop the habit. On your commute to work? in the school pick-up line? ON the drive home? You determine what’s best. Advantage: redeems time you are in the car anyway. Disadvantage: you still need to spend time in the paper version, in my opinion, so you know your Bible and can mark significant passages.
Just start:
Don’t wait for the perfect time slot to appear. Choose the best option for now and try to do it EVERY DAY for a month.
Just ten minutes:
If spending time every day overwhelms you, realize that you can start short. Spend just ten minutes every day in the Word and see what that does. After a month, you might find you crave more time.
Just keep going:
Don’t get into a blame game if you have a bad week where you totally never crack the Bible. Commit to today. Get started again. It is the small faithfulnesses and coming back again and again that build a body of Bible wisdom in your soul. If the time of day you originally tried doesn’t work, ask the Lord for wisdom on the best time and then do that.
Ask Jesus to help you:
We don’t need all the self discipline, all the Bible understanding, all the engrained-habit establishing through our flesh. What we need is Jesus helping us to keep coming to Him until we realize there’s no where else we’d rather be.
Ask Him. He’ll draw your heart.
Get Started!
So ready to start? Just start! Let me know down below what you think and what time of day you think will work best for you.
Want to start but don’t know where to start reading? I suggest the book of John. You could read a chapter a day. If that feels like too much, take it half a chapter at a time. But put on the glasses of the Word and ask Jesus to show you Himself. He will!
Come back next week and I’ll share some ideas for reading plans.
Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts. -Jeremiah 15:16 (NASB, emphasis mine)
You might want to check out last week’s blog: 20/20 Vision Needs the Fire and Hammer of the Word.