As a leader, you guide women to experience deeper intimacy with God, but if you were to draw a picture of your daily devotional life, would it look more like a well-watered garden or a neglected plot in need of tending?
In her book A Place of Quiet Rest, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth describes a season when deadlines, projects, and demands had crowded out her time with the Lord. She still had a quiet time of sorts, but it had come to consist of hurriedly reading a short passage of Scripture just before running out the door. She reflected,
I was having my devotions, if you could call it that. But I wasn’t having devotion. I wasn’t meeting with God. I wasn’t nurturing our relationship. . . . Like the young bride depicted in the Song of Solomon, I had tended the “vineyards” of others but had failed to care for the garden of my own heart (Song of Solomon 1:6). As God used circumstances to reveal my malnourished spiritual condition, I began to realize what a price I had paid for those months of neglect.
How grateful I am for a merciful, long-suffering heavenly Father who never stops pursuing a love relationship with His children. Graciously, kindly, He wooed my heart that had become distracted and desensitized to Him. His goodness led me to repent of having wandered so far from His side, to renew my vows to Him, and to reestablish my relationship with Him as the number-one priority of my day. As I responded to His initiative, the Good Shepherd began the process of restoring my soul, leading me to the still waters and green pastures that I so desperately needed. . . .
There have been other lapses in my devotion to Christ in the years since. But each time the Lord has been faithful to renew my longing for Him and restore my soul. . . . What a joy to be able to say with that grateful bride [of Song of Solomon 3:4], “I have found Him whom my soul loves.” My heart’s desire is to hold fast to Him and not to let Him go—to experience unbroken fellowship with Him and to make a conscious, deliberate choice to spend time alone with Him each day.
Has it been a while since you’ve lingered with the Lord in His Word? When you neglect meeting with Him, one of the most immediate effects is that hope begins to waver. You start trying to carry burdens you were never meant to bear, forgetting the peace and perspective that comes only from His presence. But as you draw near to Him, as you sit quietly with His truth and abide in Jesus, your hope revives.
Consider this your invitation to slip away with Him and spend time in His Word—not out of guilt or duty but because He’s still the One your soul loves. Over the next five days, carve out time to draw near to God intentionally. In the following guide, you’ll be given suggested Scripture to read, a quote to consider from Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth’s book A Place of Quiet Rest, and personal questions to reflect on.
As you begin, take time to pause and honestly evaluate the state of your hope. Watch what happens as you spend unhurried time in His presence, learning to abide more deeply in the One who is faithful to restore your soul and guide you beside still waters.
Five Days of Quiet Rest
DAY 1: This Is Your Lifeline
For Jesus, time alone with God was not optional.
It was His lifeline to the Father.
Read:
Reflect:
- What details stand out to you about how Jesus prioritized time alone with the Father, even amid pressing needs and demands?
- Write down any distractions, worries, or responsibilities you’ve been carrying. How have you been trying to handle them on your own, and how has it impacted your hope?
- Pause and offer each one to the Lord in prayer, and note what He impresses on your heart as you abide in His presence.
DAY 2: No Substitutes for Abiding
There is no shortcut to Christlikeness, no substitute
for spending consistent, quality time alone with Him.
Read:
Reflect:
- What do you learn from this passage about what it means to “abide” in Jesus, and how does it challenge your current routines?
- How does abiding in God’s Word cultivate hope and confidence in Christ?
- How have you previously seen God bear fruit in your life as you’ve remained connected to Jesus?
DAY 3: What Is the Purpose?
You may be a seasoned student of the Word. You may even be a Bible-study leader.
But if your study of the Word does not lead you to know God,
you’ve missed the whole purpose.
Read:
Reflect:
- How does this passage refocus the purpose of your devotional time?
- Paul considered everything as loss compared to knowing Christ. In which areas of your life and leadership might you be valuing knowledge, success, or recognition more than intimacy with Christ?
- Paul spoke of knowing the power of Jesus’ resurrection and sharing in His sufferings. How does abiding in Christ bring hope and perspective to your own challenges?
DAY 4: Flowing Water
God never intended that we should merely get into His Word,
but that the Word should get into us and flow through us to others.
Read:
Reflect:
- How have you experienced the Living Water refreshing or satisfying your spiritual thirst?
- How might the fruit of your personal time with God overflow into the lives of those you lead?
- Consider how your heart has been stirred, renewed, or challenged by Scripture recently. Write a prayer asking God to let His Word flow through you (your words, actions, and leadership) to others.
DAY 5: A Dress Rehearsal for Heaven
In a sense, when we praise the Lord here on earth, we are having
a “dress rehearsal” for what we will spend an eternity doing in heaven.
It’s worth asking: How much “practice” are you and I getting
in preparation for that eternal concert of praise in heaven?
Read:
Reflect:
- What do you notice most about this picture of eternal praise?
- If praise here on earth, especially as you meet with the Lord, is a “dress rehearsal” for eternity, how much practice have you been getting? How does this impact the way you lead others?
- Write your own short prayer or song of praise inspired by Revelation 5. Focus on who Jesus is and what He’s done. Let this moment of worship point you to the hope of heaven, rehearsing for the day when faith becomes sight.