Does the Bible Command a Daily Quiet Time?

Here’s a question to ponder:

Do the Scriptures command a daily devotional time of prayer and Bible reading?

I like how Kevin DeYoung answers this question:

“Not exactly, but they presume something like it.

“On the one hand, we must be honest with what we do and do not see in the Bible. Family worship is not one of the Ten Commandments. Jesus did not outline M’Cheyne’s Bible reading plan in the Sermon on the Mount. The vice lists in the New Testament do not mention “delinquent in devotions,” and “crushes his quiet time every morning” is not listed among the fruit of the Spirit. We must be careful not to make the minutes (or hours) we spend in daily devotions the sine qua non of Christian discipleship. Too many of us have learned to measure our discipleship according to this one criterion, and because we can always spend more time in prayer, we never seem to be measuring up.

“And yet if that’s all we said about ‘having a quiet time’— it’s nowhere commanded in Scripture—we would not be telling the whole story.

“We are often commanded to pray (Matt. 7:7–11; Rom. 12:12; 1 Thess. 5:17). Jesus assumes that God’s people will often be in private prayer (Matt. 6:6) and that the habit of prayer will be daily (Matt. 6:11). We know that Jesus withdrew to desolate places to pray (Mark 1:35) and that godly men like Daniel prayed three times a day (Dan. 6:10).

“Likewise, the Psalms commend to us the habit of meditating on God’s word day and night (Pss. 1; 119). We see in Timothy the example of public and private reading in Scripture (1 Tim. 4:13, 15; 2 Tim. 3:15).

“And, finally, on a number of occasions the Bible exhorts parents, and especially fathers, to instruct their children in the way of the Lord (Gen. 18:19; Deut. 6:5–6; Ps. 78:4; Eph. 6:4). There is no way to be faithful to these scriptural commands and examples if our lives are devoid of prayer, Bible reading, and time with our families in the word.”

He’s got more to say about the topic, so do yourself a favor and check out the rest of his article:

On the Crushing Guilt of Failing at Quiet Time

https://www.crossway.org/articles/on-the-crushing-guilt-of-failing-at-quiet-times

It will take you 10 minutes to read or listen to it. Then let me know your thoughts on this topic by leaving a comment below.