“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” / James 4:8a

A lot of you have been asking for my advice on devo time for awhile and what my devo time looks like, so I figured it’s finally time for me to share some of the things that have helped me grow in my relationship with the Lord and have helped me hear His voice!

What my devo time looks like:

Step 1: I find a private space where I can be alone for the most part. Sometimes I’ll have devo time at a coffee shop but for the most part, my quiet time is spent in the prayer room on my campus.

Step 2: I blare worship music. Before I even open my Bible or present my requests before the Lord, I’ll get on my knees or on my face and worship. I absolutely never have devo time where worship isn’t the first thing I do. This is such a bittersweet time for me and this is the time where I heard the Lord’s voice the clearest—in the midst of my worship. (Side note: if you need a good worship playlist, you can find mine here.)

Step 3: I pray. I’m a writer (obviously) so one of my favorite ways to pray is to write down my prayers. I also love praying out loud if the environment I’m in allows it. I usually begin each prayer with thanksgiving before the Lord.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” / Philippians 4:6

Coming to the Lord with thanksgiving first has helped me grow exponentially in my relationship with Him. I’ve found that when I voice my gratitude over my complaints, something shifts in my heart and my appreciation grows in a whole new way!
Then I’ll usually spend some time praying about whatever I need to pray about and then I’ll just sit still playing worship music in a receiving position waiting on the Lord and seeking His voice.

Step 4: I pray that the Lord would speak to me through His Word then I’ll usually read a Psalm and Proverb or two each time, then I’ll dig into whatever book of the Bible I’m currently studying and take notes in my journaling Bible on what the Lord is speaking. Since worship music can be distracting, I’ll sometimes turn on instrumentals as I read. If you want an instrumental playlist, here’s mine (I ensure that the instrumentals are Jesus lovin’ because I can 1000% feel the difference if they’re not).

If I don’t understand something or want to go more in depth with it, I’ll watch a Read Scripture YouTube video on it or just Google it. It’s so helpful!

5th and final step: I journal everything the Lord spoke.

My devo time looks different usually every time and these steps aren’t always in the same order (except for steps 1 and 2) but that’s the run down of my personal quiet time with the Lord!

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Here are a couple helpful hints that have helped me in my devo time:

• Turn your phone on do not disturb (for obvious reasons).
• Come to the Lord sober-minded and with a clear conscience.
• Don’t beat yourself up if you feel as if your devo time isn’t fruitful or if you don’t hear the Lord speak anything. Sometimes all He wants is for you to sit at His feet.
• Remember that the Lord already knows what you need before you voice it. I don’t always deem it necessary to voice my needs before the Lord since He’s already providing for me. I’d rather thank Him for who He is.
• Remain consistent. If I go a single day without spending time set apart with the Lord, I feel such a heaviness. He wants so desperately for you to make Him such a priority that you can’t go a single day without spending time with Him.

“You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” / Jeremiah 29:13

• Recognize the Lord’s worthiness. When you see the Lord for His worth, you will crave time with Him. I mean, He’s the King and the Creator of the universe. How could you not want to spend time with Him?
• Learn to discipline yourself. Spending time daily with the Lord isn’t always convenient, but it is always necessary. Don’t let yourself slip under the cracks. Seek Him daily.

Remember: you don’t need extravagant devo time to seek the Lord and be in His presence. Seek Him and pray throughout the entire day even while doing mundane and ordinary tasks. Don’t limit your prayer and worship to just your intentional devo time.

Find what works for you. What works for you might be completely different than what works for me! But just remember that the Lord craves time with you. He misses you when you’re apart from Him. He says “daughter, son, come back to Me. I have such great things in store for you; don’t miss out on them because you’re not seeking Me.” He dances for joy when you spend intentional time set apart just for Him! Too many people already put Him on the back-burner—don’t add onto that. Make Him first and foremost.

Be intentional and be fervent. He is worthy of our attention.

“From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though He is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.” / Acts 17:27-28a