How to Make Quiet Time With God a Routine

The alarm buzzes. You crack open one eye, just long enough to hit snooze. Ah, silence.

You know you should get up. You’ve been saying you want to be intentional about having a quiet time routine every morning. But now the alarm is off and the pillow seems cozier than ever . . .

Sound familiar? You aren’t alone.

Most of us understand what a game-changer it can be to have quiet time with God in the morning. It gives you joy and helps you remember He’s in control of all the details of your life. These quiet moments can set you up for a great day, but sometimes it’s just hard to follow through—especially if you’re not a morning person.

If you need a little help getting that morning routine down, don’t sweat it. Give these tips a try and watch your dream of daily quiet time become a reality.

1. Move the alarm clock.

Moving your alarm clock seems like an insignificant piece of advice, but getting out of bed is a necessary step if you want to prioritize quiet time in the morning. Most people use their phone as an alarm, but they set it right beside their bed before they go to sleep. That makes it all too easy to hit snooze and stay buried under the covers for another 30 minutes!

Instead, set yourself up for success by moving the device that wakes you up out of arm’s reach. Now, when your alarm goes off in the morning, you have to roll out of bed to turn it off. Once you do that, you’re already up—and more likely to stay up.

2. Pick one place.

Decide where you want to have your morning quiet time. What part of your house would you be happy to see each morning when you wake up? Maybe you want to sit at the dining room table so you have a place to set your coffee mug and write in your journal. Perhaps you’d rather curl up on the couch with a blanket and your Bible.

The important thing here is to choose one location—and stick with it. Going to the same spot each morning will help you develop a routine, which helps you form a consistent habit. So whether you want to sit on the floor of your closet or on a porch swing, commit to go there every morning. Just make sure the spot you choose is quiet enough for you to focus and not be distracted.

3. Study what interests you.

Your morning quiet time is your time to be with God. It doesn’t need to follow the pattern of everyone around you. That means you can pick a book or study that interests you or speaks to your current season of life. If you’re just starting to develop a morning routine, it’s even more important you select something that you enjoy.

Try exploring books of the Bible that deal with topics relating to your life or Scripture that could help you answer questions about the current state of the world. If you want to learn more about raising godly children, find a Bible study focused on parenting. Use this time to grow closer to God, but don’t be afraid to start with topics that are near and dear to your heart.

4. Start small.

Zechariah 4:10 (NLT) says, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” Sometimes when we decide to pick up a new habit, we think we need to go all in. But you’re setting yourself up to fail if your starting goal is to wake up an hour early every morning and read an entire book of the Bible.

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If you’re easing into this new routine, don’t be afraid to start small. God isn’t interested in grading you based on how much you read, pray, or journal on any given morning. Read that verse from Zechariah again. God rejoices to see new works begin—even the ones that start small.   

If you feel like you’ve had trouble keeping a morning quiet time in the past, give yourself permission to start again with a clean slate. We are all works in progress. God knows that! Once you get into the swing of things, you will treasure your quiet time more than any other part of your day. You may even start looking forward to that early morning alarm!