Our daily Quiet Time is an opportunity to actively evaluate and reconstruct our worldview. The society we live in says either there is no God or God really has little or nothing to do with the daily outcomes of life. We all are subject to this bombardment of our Christian faith and if we are not pro-active in countering these thoughts we may become just one of so many whose faith is very weak or even non-existent. What can we do to build a deep, abiding faith? Here are some of my thoughts.

1. Read your Bible regularly—but with discretion. I know that often some, myself included, have tried to be zealous in reading large portions of scripture daily, perhaps trying to read through the Bible in a year. While there is certainly value in this, I suggest that sometimes this is not the best plan because we may be so busy reaching our goal, that we do not have time to listen to what God wants to say to us personally between the lines. Rather than opting for someone else’s formula, ask the Lord to guide you personally in structuring your Quiet Time.

2. Make the primary goal of your Quiet Time to learn something fresh about who God is and how he wants to relate to you. These are sacred moments with your Lord. Follow his leading. Determine to come away with some specific truth that you believe God is trying to show you that has value for you in the moment. Mull over it during your day. Does this truth fit with how you think about “God and me”? Ask God to enable you to incorporate this new insight into your true self.

3. Consciously choose to enter into an ongoing inner conversation with God. Prayer is much bigger than a list of requests or even expressions of praise. Prayer is (or should be) all of life. It is the Me inside, listening and looking to learn about God; to see him in action in our world. In a special sense this should happen in our Quiet Time, but also in church, at work, and even in casual conversation. The key is not only to hear God’s truth but to find real ways to build it into our everyday thinking.

4. Look to see God in action today. Too often we pray, “Help in this situation . . .” or “Give guidance to these friends . . . ,” but then we fail to expect God to answer in real, concrete ways. If we believe God can make a difference in the bits and pieces that make up our daily lives, then at the end of the day we should be able to recount where we have seen him at work.

5. A prayer journal may be a really helpful tool. It is a little more work, but, then, how serious are we about really growing in our faith? Right now my goal is to write down one “something” that I hear from God each day; some insight that God gives that is just for me. Then I can ask him to change me, as needed—to help me see God more clearly as the loving Father who is very busy all the time caring for his children and drawing them to himself. Maybe you would like to join me.

Joyce Thomas