Overcoming Common Quiet Time Obstacles

When developing a lasting quiet time habit, it is sometimes wise to follow your heart.

If that statement makes you uneasy, you’re not alone. I once felt the same way.

For most of my life, I firmly believed that my heart was “deceitful above all things, and desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9). This meant, according to my theological reasoning, that all of the desires and emotions that flowed from my heart were immoral and therefore untrustworthy.

What I failed to understand for a long time is that Jeremiah’s prophecy isn’t the final word for those who belong to Christ. I needed to see this verse in light of the bigger story of the gospel as it unfolds in the rest of Scripture. Consider God’s words in Ezekiel 36:26, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (emphasis mine).

Paul echoes this in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (emphasis mine).

Our hearts—the source of our emotions and desires—are part of this new creation, gifted by grace through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). This means that, while still capable of deceit, our hearts are no longer only deceitful. We have been given new hearts of flesh where Christ reigns and rules by his Spirit (Ephesians 3:16-17). These hearts are capable of choosing what is good, right, and God-honoring.

Therefore, we no longer need to distrust every emotion and desire that issues from our hearts. Instead, we can examine and test them to discern God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will (Romans 12:2).

What does this have to do with our daily quiet times?

Knowing our new hearts can produce God-honoring emotions should make us pause when we feel negatively about our quiet times. Because of the new hearts gifted to us through Christ, lacking the desire to meet with God does not always mean we lack a desire for God. There are obstacles, beyond our own personal sin patterns, that may be causing us to resist meeting with God each day.

Sometimes these obstacles reveal deception in our hearts, calling us to turn to Christ and repent. Other times, they signal false guilt from unrealistic expectations we’ve set for ourselves. Discerning the cause—whether genuine sin or false guilt—by thoughtfully testing our hearts is the key to overcoming these obstacles.

Obstacle #1: Boredom

If we are being honest with ourselves, sometimes reading our Bibles and praying feels boring. Quiet-time boredom often stems from trying to do too much, not understanding the text, or following an unrealistic quiet-time routine. If boredom is diminishing your desire to spend time with the Lord, consider the following questions:

Do I need to change how I read or listen to the Bible to help me feel more engaged?
Can I pair Bible reading with another enjoyable activity (a walk, a hot drink, soothing music, a lit candle, etc)?
Do I need to break up the reading into smaller portions throughout the day?
Would adjusting my routine or the tools I use help refresh my quiet times?

Obstacle #2: Distraction

In a world that clamors for our attention, distractions lurk around every corner. Some distractions can’t be avoided—like a dog who needs to be let out or a toddler who needs a snack. Other times, we bring the distractions into our quiet times with us—like our always-connected, ever-pinging smartphones. Sometimes our circumstances overwhelm our thoughts and distract us from giving our full attention to the Lord. But distractions need not rule us and derail our daily quiet times. There are things we can do and systems we can put in place to lessen distractions and keep ourselves focused on the Lord. If you find yourself battling distractions during your daily quiet time, reflect on the following questions:

Do I need to find or create a less distracting environment? Put my phone in another room? Find a place away from the TV or computer?
Am I feeling overwhelmed by the day’s worries? Would writing down my distracting thoughts in a prayer help before I begin?
Do I need to communicate my quiet time expectations with the people in my household? Can we collaborate on a system that minimizes distractions during this time?
Will taking notes help keep me focused? Are there other tools or resources that I can use to help me stay on task?

Obstacle #3: Confusion

Like boredom, confusion over our Bible reading can lessen our desire to meet with God daily. The reality is that the Bible can be confusing: it was written in a language we don’t speak, to a culture we don’t know, in a time we don’t live in. This doesn’t mean we are incapable of understanding the Bible, nor is the Bible boring. On the contrary, there is no book more fascinating or exciting than the living and active Word of God (Hebrews 4:12). But breaking through the confusion takes time, practice, and guidance from trustworthy Bible teachers. If confusion hinders your quiet times, consider these questions:

Am I struggling to understand what I’m reading? What do I find confusing?
Do I need to stop and ask God to give me understanding?
Would it help to write down my questions to revisit later?
Am I ok with not understanding until I can study the text more deeply later?
Do I need to use some resources and tools that will help me better understand the text?
Is there someone who can help me make sense of what I’m reading?

Obstacle #4: Sickness

I’m embarrassed by how often I’ve mistaken physical or mental illness for spiritual weakness. I’ve often come to my quiet time feeling apathetic and reluctant, then berated myself for my lack of faith. Upon further reflection, however, I found that my apathy stemmed from a headache, fatigue, or the beginnings of a cold, rather than from a weak faith. The mind-body connection is complex, causing confusion about where our lack of desire originates. A quick body scan can help us determine whether our hearts, minds, or bodies are out of joint and adjust accordingly. Asking yourself the following questions can also help:

How is my body feeling right now? Could my physical health be affecting my desire or ability to meet with God?
Could my mental health be affecting my desire or ability to meet with God? How are my anxiety/depression/dysregulation, etc, levels at this moment?
Do I need to stop now to take care of my body or mind and try again later?
Do I need to temporarily change my routine until I’m feeling better?
Would praying a Psalm or listening to Scripture music be gentler on my mind and body today?

Obstacle #5: Overwhelm

The overwhelm I’m referring to here has to do with trying to create a quiet time routine that is beyond our capacity to sustain long-term. Sometimes in our fervor to prioritize our time with the Lord, we do too much too quickly. This can leave us feeling overwhelmed instead of strengthened and encouraged. If your quiet time routine feels overwhelming and you think you may be trying to do too much, ask yourself these questions:

What is happening in this season of my life? Do I need to adjust my Bible reading or prayer routine for this season?
Is my quiet time routine feasible given my current circumstances? Am I struggling to keep up?
Do I need to scale back temporarily until I establish some smaller, more sustainable quiet time habits?
Will I burn out if I continue with this routine? Should I take smaller steps?

Obstacle #6: Sin

While every obstacle mentioned here can be influenced by sin, the harsh reality is that sometimes we don’t desire to have our quiet times because we don’t desire God. Like Adam and Eve, we sometimes believe the lie that God alone cannot satisfy our deepest desires, turning to lesser things for happiness and fulfillment. Thankfully, because of Jesus, sin does not have the last word in our quiet times or in our lives. By God’s grace, we can repent, receive forgiveness, and move forward with renewed hearts and desires. If you think personal sin may be affecting your quiet time, consider these questions:

How do I feel about God and the Bible right now—angry, doubtful, frustrated, apathetic? Have I shared these feelings with God?
Do I truly believe I need God’s Word and prayer to sustain me today? If not, what do I think will sustain me? Why do I believe this?
Do I find something else more satisfying than God’s Word and prayer? If so, what?
Does something else feel more important than this time with the Lord? What is it?
Have I stopped and repented of the sins that are holding me back?

Each one of these obstacles—boredom, distraction, confusion, sickness, overwhelm and sin—can diminish our desire to have our daily quiet times. But take heart! None of these obstacles is insurmountable. None of them is powerful enough to stop us from coming to the Lord each day in Bible reading and prayer. The obstacles only stop us if we let them. Correctly identifying the obstacles that hold us back is the first step to overcoming them. Asking God to help us overcome these obstacles is what will ultimately defeat them.

Today’s post comes from Chapter 4 of my new book, The Quiet Time Workbook. If you’d like the full set of personal reflection exercises and guided journal pages that accompany each chapter in the workbook.