Quiet Time in Hebrews 4

EXPAND TO READ: HEBREWS 4 (HCSB)

The Promised Rest

1 Therefore, while the promise to enter His rest remains, let us fear that none of you should miss it. 2 For we also have received the good news just as they did; but the message they heard did not benefit them, since they were not united with those who heard it in faith 3 (for we who have believed enter the rest), in keeping with what He has said:

So I swore in My anger, they will not enter My rest.

And yet His works have been finished since the foundation of the world, 4 for somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day in this way:

And on the seventh day God rested from all His works.

5 Again, in that passage He says, They will never enter My rest. 6 Since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again, He specifies a certain day—today—speaking through David after such a long time, as previously stated:

Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people. 10 For the person who has entered His rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His. 11 Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.

12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart. 13 No creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.

Our Great High Priest

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to the confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.

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PERSONAL JOURNAL:

SIN (verse 2): Since coming to faith, I have often fallen into the trap this verse speaks of. Far too often I have not received Your good news like those around me due to many reasons. The primary reason is likely due to distractions in my own head, just as I have had during today’s quiet time. Please forgive me for often being distracted when You are speaking to me, Father. Forgive me for often letting my mind run full speed when I’m supposed to be slowing it down so I can truly focus on Your good news in the moment. Help me to be better at silencing all of the “noise” in my head, so that when Your good news is being spoken to me that I am ready to listen and accept it.

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PROMISE (verses 14-15): In these verses, You promise us that there is one high priest and only one who is absolutely pure and sin-free available for our benefit. This high priest is Jesus, Your Son. Thank You so much for the amazing sacrifice You made through Jesus, but also thank You for the sin-free life he was able to live while walking on this earth. Thanks to Him, who is truly able to sympathize with us, we are saved for eternity and have the best possible example to embrace in our lives.

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ATTITUDE (verses 10-11): I often struggle with an attitude of disobedience towards Your will for my life, Father. This attitude of disobedience and immaturity has caused quite a bit of pain and sadness in my life, unfortunately. In these verses You specifically tell us to have an attitude of rest; not rest from everything, but rest from our own way of doing things. Help me to give rest to always trying to be in control of the things I feel I want to do in this life, Father. Help me to be better at being obedient towards Your will for my life instead of my own selfish desires.

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COMMAND (verse 16): I’m not sure if this is a command or not, but I feel like it is. You tell us to approach Your throne of grace with boldness in order to receive the mercy and grace that only You can provide to us when the time is right. Help me to be bold like You tell us to be here, Father. Help me to always understand that Your timing is better than my own, but that I must approach Your throne first and foremost in order to reap the benefits of Your timing in my life. Help me to be more consistent with this, so that I may boldly approach Your throne through ALL things this life brings to me instead of trying to “power through it” on my own.

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EXAMPLE (verses 14-16): Once again, these verses are speaking loudly to me. Our daily walk likely will never mirror the purity of Jesus when He was living on this earth. We do, however, have Him as our perfect, sin-free, high priest to go to whenever we want or need counsel on anything. He provides us with perfect sympathy because He is the only one that was able to walk in our flesh and have absolutely no sin problems like I have all the time. Help me to be better at approaching Your throne in boldness, Jesus, instead of always cowering to my own will in avoidance of You.

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*DAILY NOTE: I have been very immature in my faith and I didn’t really recognize that until recently. I know I have been like a rebellious teenager to You, Father, and I am truly sorry for that. I have started to get better, but I feel like I’m just maybe a foot out of the rebellious teenager stage and not quite fully passed it, yet. Continue to work in me and mold me to be better, Father. You have given me so many tools to work my spiritual journey with over the years, but I have failed to use them. Remind me of those tools and help me to learn how to properly and effectively use them in my life so that I may become more spiritually sound in this life, Father.

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EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES

I always "sandwich" my quiet time with God in prayer and do it in a location that I will not have any distractions so that I can be focused on my quiet time with God. Do not worry about how short or long your journal entries are for that day's quiet time. Just focus on the actual quiet time and relational conversation with God through the Holy Spirit and His Word. The journaling is an enhancement to your quiet time conversation with God, but also to allow you to reflect on things later as you can look back on your journal entries later when you do the chapters again in the future to see how you have grown. See the FAQ for more detail on how I do my quiet time.