My favorite way to begin the day is through a daily quiet time – a time of Bible study and prayer. As George Müller once wrote in his diary, “The first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day is to have my soul happy in the Lord.”
I love that! It is one of my favorite quotes!
And just like George, I want the first business of my day to have my soul happy in the Lord.
Over the years, I have come across some really helpful tools for my daily quiet times. These are resources that have proven to be invaluable to my study of God’s Word and strengthening my relationship with Him.
I hope you will find these helpful as well.
David Guzik Commentaries
I discovered David Guzik’s online commentary of the Bible years ago, and I’m so glad I did. He has commentaries for each book of the Bible. I love that these commentaries are easy to read and understand, and he takes insights and quotes from many of the greatest leaders throughout church history.
These commentaries have transformed my quiet times, and I’m so thankful for them! They are also available in print if you prefer having a hard copy.
Bible Hub
Bible Hub is a fantastic website that provides a database of every verse of Scripture in any translation available. You can compare the translations side by side. It also provides the Greek translation through Strong’s Concordance as well as cross references and commentaries. Very helpful!
Open Bible
Open Bible is another very helpful website that arranges the Bible topically. You can type in any key word or subject in the search bar, and it will pull up a list of all the scriptures on that topic. It also provides Geocoding (which shows the location of every identifiable place mentioned in the Bible!). And it provides an extensive cross reference search engine which is awesome!
Insights on the Bible
Pastor Chuck Swindoll’s Insights on the Bible provide helpful overview charts on each book of the Bible. I have found these so helpful for providing a “big picture” view of each book of the Bible – it really helps to keep the main theme(s) in mind as I’m studying God’s Word.
With the Word Handbook
This chapter-by-chapter Bible handbook is incredibly helpful for providing brief yet thoughtful summaries of every chapter in the Bible. It’s devotional as well as practical as he guides you through each chapter, providing insights as well as applications for your life. Love it!
Noah Webster 1828 Dictionary
I love learning the meaning of words, and Noah Webster was a master lexicographer and textbook pioneer! His 1828 dictionary is my favorite one to use, because he provides scripture whenever possible to define or expound upon the meaning of a word.
For example, if you type in the word ‘agony’ in the search bar, notice the second definition he provides:
“2. Extreme pain of body or mind; anguish; appropriately, the pangs of death, and the sufferings of our Savior in the garden of Gethsemane. Luke 22:44.”
Looking up words becomes a devotional experience in and of itself!
ESV App
The ESV translation has quickly become a best-selling translation of the Bible! The publishers say they want to continue a “legacy of precision and faithfulness in English translation of the original text.”
The ESV App is a fantastic app to have on your phone for having the Bible at your fingertips. There is a free version that gives you the basic text, while the paid version provides access to all the notes for the various ESV study bibles (including the classic ESV Study Bible, the Gospel Transformation Study Bible, the Systematic Study Bible, the Archaeology Study Bible, the Literary Study Bible, etc.)!
This is a super helpful App for any Bible scholar!
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer has been described as one of the major works of English literature.
The late, great J.I. Packer once said, “The Book of Common Prayer is the Bible arranged for Worship.” I love that! I have recently discovered the rich beauty of the liturgy, prayers, Scripture readings, etc. of this incredible prayer book in my own personal quiet times.
I love the preface to the 2019 edition to the BCP:
“The Book of Common Prayer (2019) is a form of prayers and praises that is thoroughly Biblical, catholic in the manner of the early centuries, highly participatory in delivery, peculiarly Anglican and English in its roots, culturally adaptive and missional in a most remarkable way, utterly accessible to the people, and whose repetitions are intended to form the faithful catechetically and to give them doxological voice.”
To learn more about it, this is a very helpful article (and website)! To learn more about how to use the Book of Common Prayer in your daily devotions, check out this post and this post.
Scripture Set to Music
There’s nothing quite like hearing the Word of God read aloud. And when there is calming, peaceful music in the background, it becomes a soul-soothing experience. The Peaceful Scriptures YouTube channel has a compilation of videos (ranging from 2 – 8 hours long) of Scriptures being read aloud to soothing music. There are a variety of topics from which to choose (i.e. Our identity in Christ, Soothing Psalms for Sleep, the Miracles of Jesus, etc.).
I also love Scripture Lullabies – these are actual Scriptures being sung. Make sure to scroll through the different songs on the right side of the page to see all the different Scripture songs.
Hearing God’s Word with music or in song is a powerful way to praise God throughout the day and thwart the devil – he hates praising and singing and will flee! So whether you are going through a difficult trial or life seems good, praise and sing to God through His Word!
What tools have helped you in your daily quiet time? We’d love to hear!
