“Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.” Matthew 6:6 (MSG)

You can’t hear God speaking to you if your life is full of noise. You’ve got to get alone, and you’ve got to be quiet. Many people call this a quiet time.

In The Message paraphrase, Jesus says it like this: “Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.”

There’s something critical you need to realize about hearing God speak and getting his vision for your life: He wants to meet with you. In fact, in Jeremiah 33:3 it says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (NIV).

You may feel like you’re waiting on God—but often, God is waiting on you. He created you for a relationship, and he loves it when you spend time with him. He longs to be part of your everyday life, like a regular appointment on your calendar. God is patient, but he’s always ready to meet with you.

But getting alone in a quiet place can be pretty difficult in today’s world. Most people don’t realize how noisy their surroundings really are. Every waiting room, grocery store, and elevator has music. There are very few places in our lives that are actually quiet.

And if you’ve got kids at home, it’s even more difficult! But let me give you some hope. Susanna Wesley, mother of John and Charles Wesley, had 18 children in total! Her son, John, founded the Methodist church and helped spread Christianity across America, and Charles, wrote more than 6,000 hymns.

How does anyone find time to get quiet and be alone when they have 18 children? Her biography says that for an hour every afternoon, she would sit in her favorite rocking chair with her apron thrown over her head. The kids knew that if she had an apron over her head, it meant, “No child bothers Mom!”

Wesley said it was the prayers of his mom that shaped his life. If a mother with 18 children living in the 1600s can find time to be alone with God, you can too. Be desperate for it. Make time to be quiet and meet with the Lord.

Talk It Over

• How much of your day is spent in silence?

• What distractions can you set aside to prioritize time alone with God each day?

• What effect can your consistent quiet time have not only on you but also on your family?