Five Ideas to Enhance Your Time with God

1. Don’t get stuck in a rut.

   We all know about the “quiet time” but sometimes it feels like a chore. Vary your time with God by doing something different. Go for a walk. Sit in a park. Dance to praise music. God wants to have a relationship not a ritual. Now don’t get me wrong, consistency is important, discipline is important but when you are stuck in a rut it’s time to shake things up. What are places where you feel God’s presence? When have you heard from God? Who might go on a ½ day retreat with you?

2. Read Scripture from a new translation.

   If you’ve always read the NIV, try reading the same passage in The Message. Compare them, see how a modern wording helps your understanding. Try writing your own paraphrase and then pray through the passage in all three versions.

3. Read one of the “old guys.”

   Sometime you can get a new (old) perspective on God by looking at what Christians have written in times past. Men like Brother Lawrence, Augustin, Martin Luther and Dietrich Bonhoffer. Women like Teresa of Avila, Hannah Hurnard, Catherine Marshall and Corrie Ten Boom. Hearing insights from others can open your heart and mind to things you might not have thought of yourself.

4. Try for silence.

   Silence does not come easy to us but a relationship is a two-way street. Try waiting in silence for 60 seconds after you share something with God. It may seem like a long time but give Him a chance to speak to your heart. Read a passage of Scripture, verse by verse, pausing to let the message settle into your heart and mind. Silence is one of the Spiritual Disciplines, one we need to cultivate.

5. Memorize a favorite passage.

   I know! You have a hard time memorizing. We certainly memorize less that people did even 50 years ago. But we are told to “hide God’s Word in our hearts.” By doing so, we allow the Spirit to work those verses into our core. Memorize in small bits and once you have memorized, pray through the verse asking God to show you all you need to learn from it. You will be amazed at how this changes your prayer life!

Finally, relax and enjoy your time with God. Think of all he has done for you, for all of us. Thank him, Praise him, Worship him. Be willing to “be” in his presence.