Quiet time.

Just the sound of these two words sends shudders down the spines of many Christians, especially leaders.

Why?
Quiet? How to be quiet in such a noisy world?
Time? Where got time?

It’s familiar, isn’t it? Quiet time has become one of the most well-known staples in a believer’s walk with God. And yet, let’s be honest, it’s also one of the hardest spiritual disciplines to maintain. Especially for us, first-world Christians trying to keep up with an always-on, ever-demanding world.

But the essence of quiet time remains unchanged: it is the bedrock of our relationship with God.
How can we know a friend we don’t make time to know?
How can we grow close to someone we don’t speak to?
How can we receive the power to be His witnesses if we don’t take time to be filled?

Quiet time is essential to the believer’s walk and intimacy with the Lord.

“If Quiet Time so important, why are so many Christians, and especially leaders, so inconsistent in spending time in the secret place?”

But you didn’t need this article to tell you that.

So let’s ask the real question:

If Quiet Time so important, why are so many Christians, and especially leaders, so inconsistent in spending time in the secret place?

The answer is: an overfamiliarity leading us to take God for granted.

Hear me out.
When you’re late for an appointment with someone important, what do you do? You text, call, explain, and apologise. And if it matters enough, you reschedule.
But why is it that we miss our daily appointments with Jesus without so much as a word? No apology. No plan to make it up.
Just another day of leaving Him waiting.

And then another. And another.

The uncomfortable truth? We don’t protect our quiet time because we don’t prioritise Jesus.
We gladly trade our time with the most important person in our lives for our work, family, or personal demands.

I’m not dismissing life’s interruptions. As a young father, I know how unpredictable the days (and nights) can be — late-night cries, sudden changes, zero routine.
But while we may know quiet time is important, we often fail to grasp that Quiet Time is not primarily about us.

Quiet time isn’t about your spiritual checklist.
It isn’t a self-help refill station for your next sermon, nor a therapy download session.
Jesus isn’t your therapist. He is your Lord of all.

Yes, God is gracious and meets us in our needs. He heals and restores. But at the heart of it, the secret place is about loving God and being loved by Him.

We come to God, not for what He can do, but simply for who He is.

We come to enjoy God. And guess what? Newsflash: God enjoys us.

As the Westminster Shorter Catechism puts it, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.”

I believe that’s why James writes, “Draw near to him, and he will draw near to you,” (James 4:8)
God LONGS to draw closer. He waits, patiently, for us to respond to his first move.

So let’s get this straight: quiet time isn’t a religious obligation.
It’s a divine invitation.
One of the many ways God has given us to walk closely with Him.

Recently, a mentee wrote a note to me that radically changed my perspective on being a healthy leader: she affirmed me for being a leader who prioritises God, my walk with Him and my family. I was touched that my commitments had an impact! When I prioritise my life right, my followers are inspired to do the same.

As someone once poignantly said, “Sometimes the best gift we can give to our followers is a healthy you.” How true.

Leaders, all the more, must model a thriving secret life with God.

“Time with God is more than a means to “receive downloads” or “get empowered.” Quiet Time is the source of intimacy. And everything flows from there.”

Martin Luther famously said, “I have so much to do today that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” Luther understood that intimacy with God precedes impact. Unhurried time with the Lord isn’t a luxury—it’s the lifeline.

Time with God is more than a means to “receive downloads” or “get empowered.”

Quiet Time is the source of intimacy. And everything flows from there.

A leader’s quiet time is the primary place where we catch God’s heart, for ourselves and for the people He’s entrusted to us.

A Personal Shift

One simple but transformative change I made was this: I stopped calling it “Quiet Time.”
As a second-gen Christian, I get how loaded that phrase can be. It can leave us feeling more shameful than Jesus wants us to feel.

Instead, a mentor once encouraged me to rename it: Jesus Time.

That small shift helped to reframe the way I approached this religious task.

Now, Jesus Time can happen at my favourite sunrise spot, with a Decathlon chair, a guitar, and my Bible. Sometimes we sit for hours, and he speaks a lot. It never gets old.
Bring Jesus out for an evening walk, to your favourite cafe, heck, even the best mala spot in town. Spend time with him and invite him into a conversation with you – about anything.

For me, God speaks to me through nature (natural theology). He speaks a plenty when I’m by still waters and greeneries.

Because serving the Lord is not the same as knowing the Lord.
One day when we stand before God, we will realize that God intended for us primarily to know Him more deeply. Partnering with God for ministry is, and always has been, a means of knowing Him more! Life will be measured by how deeply we know God, and that all we do is an expression of that.

Don’t trade a lifetime of intimacy for a lifetime of ministry.

As Jesus said to Martha, “Mary has chosen what is better.” (Luke 10:42)
The work will never finish. The needs never end. But the invitation remains — to sit at His feet, to choose the better thing.

One Decision Away

Leaders, you are one decision away from meeting the Creator of the universe face-to-face.

Let your days be fuelled by intimacy.

Because before you are a leader, you are first a son. You are first a daughter.

And your Heavenly Father is awaiting.