Switching on the kettle to make my morning tea, I looked out through the window at the sky, dark with a beautiful full moon! I pull out my journal, Bible and pen- and sit on our red couch to meet with Jesus one on one!

Over the years I have learned from women Bible teachers who have shared that adding variety to their time with God has helped them be consistent and added enthusiasm, and most importantly has helped them draw close to God. These are a few things I have added to my quiet time recently. I don’t do all of them each day. I use them as I am led to and this has been so refreshing.

• Singing / listening to/ reading words of hymns and hymn stories and meditating on the verses used to write the hymns is something I started doing recently. ‘Great is Thy faithfulness’- I read through the words of this hymn today morning. ‘Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide’- these lines from the hymn made such an impact on me. Imagine God, creator of the Universe, cheering me on as I lived my daily life, (doing the laundry, getting groceries and making dinner) guiding me every step!

“I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.”- Psalm 104:33 NIV

• Doing Word Studies. I choose one word to study every week. This week I am pondering on and studying ‘angel’. I write out the different meanings for the word from a dictionary. Each day I write out a couple of verses using the word from the Bible in my journal and make a study of it. At the end of the week, I write out a prayer or a psalm and choose one of the verses to carry in my heart and memorize. Some other word studies which have been a blessing to me are hope, sing, peace, joy, watch, hand and work. This method has helped me hide God’s word in my heart. I now see God’s word as precious than gold and sweeter than honey. (Psalm 19:10 NIV)

“I have hidden your word in my heart, that I may not sin against you.”- Psalm 119:11 NIV

• Reading prayers written by others. William Barclay’s Prayers for the Plain Man was a gift to me from my father two years back when I visited India. It is a small book with morning and evening prayers for each day of the month. By using this book, I have learned to pray intentionally and specifically for others and for myself. 

• Praying for refugees, those facing unjust situations, single parents, the lonely, those in prison and the unloved is such a blessing. 

‘Help me Lord to work honestly, whether there is anyone to see it or not. Help me live this day so that the world is a happier place because I passed through it.’- William Barclay

Another prayer book I love is ‘Hold me up a little longer, Lord’- Marjorie Holmes.

These prayers for women are so relatable. There is a prayer for washing dishes and one for letting go of adult children. You will laugh and cry as you pray them out aloud!

“When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen. Then your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. “- Matthew 6:6 NIV

I hope this encourages you to add variety and cheer to your quiet time. Next time, I will share how I use a Daily Reading plan in a couple of ways to add meaning to the text, apply it to my life and grow closer to God!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shoba Ranjitsingh is an architect, writer, a proud mother and an excited new grandmother who works in a Primary school in New Zealand. Shoba enjoys studying God’s word and her role as a STL at Bible Study Fellowship in NZ for 6 years has enabled her to now write and lead Women’s Bible Studies. Helping women study and enjoy God’s word as they embrace each season of life is her prayer as a writer. Long walks, cakes, hymns, coffee, books and quiet family evenings describe Shoba. Ranjit and Shoba live in Auckland.