Creating a Daily Habit of Quiet Time before the Rush - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - July 6, 2026

“Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.” – Mark 1:35

The daily walk of following Jesus begins with sitting with Him each morning. There have been times in my life when I have only had 5 minutes to lock the bathroom door and read my “Jesus Calling” devotional before my tiny humans needed mommy again. I lived the miracle of God stretching those five minutes to equip me for the entire day. When I asked Him to help me remember that page and the Scripture, He was faithful. I was always amazed at how often that short, one-page devotional would come up in conversation, pop into my mind as I folded tiny pieces of laundry, or pad quietly around the house during naptime. 

Following Jesus means doing what He did. He woke up in the morning and found a quiet place to pray. Why do we think we are built any differently, so advanced that we can find another time or way to connect with God and stay charged for the rest of the day? Some days, I feel akin to my cell phone …the battery gets low about midday, and I need to plug it in. I need Jesus. I need worship music playing to remind me who He is and who I am …because I am forgetful! That’s why that five-minute bathroom time being stretched and etched into my mind for an entire day was such a miracle! 

This summer, I gave my front porch a makeover. I moved some patio furniture I picked up for free from the side of the road one Sunday after church (another story for another time), I scrubbed the neglected siding, and put some hanging flowers up. I’ve spent most of the summer on that front porch; most precious to my soul is the quiet of the early summer mornings. The robins singing and the dew dripping, I sit in the quiet, at daybreak, with Jesus. This season, I have sat with Him longer than ever before. I feel ready to face the day. 

The tiny humans He put in my care are 16 and 18, now. One graduated and is accumulating piles to move to college soon, and the other is anxious to get her license and drive. It’s a big change. I never remember wishing I had more than five minutes on those crazy toddler-filled mornings. I always felt it was just right. Just what it needed to be. That’s how I feel now, too, in this season. How blessed is my soul to have so many more minutes to sit in the quiet with Jesus each morning as He so sweetly ministers to the parts of my heart that are having trouble letting go and cheers me on in my new projects and responsibilities. 

I will miss my daughters immensely when they go. The ache will be something new. I will undoubtedly sit alone with Jesus with a lot. But I know, unequivocally, I will never be alone. I will have Him to sit with all the days of my life, and that fills my heart and mind with peace when my worries (and there are many) threaten to run rogue and cause chaos. 

I love to picture Jesus in this verse today. Walking at dawn to a quiet place, and praying to the Father. I imagine He walks with me to my quiet space each morning, and kicks His feet up on my front porch as I pour out all of the things my heart can’t process correctly without Him. His company is a daily miracle. The way He sticks and stays with me throughout the day after getting up and walking into my routine …miracle. I say it all the time, and I sincerely mean it … I do not know how people do life without Jesus. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude that I don’t have to. 

Let’s pray …

Jesus,
Thank you so much for sitting with me …from the tiny bathroom long ago to my front porch this summer. You are the constant in my life, and you keep me afloat. You, alone, know the depths of my heart – you are the only one I trust with it! Thank you, my faithful Friends, Redeemer, Savior, King, and Emmanuel. Your voice revives me each morning, and I will follow you, my Shepherd, every day of my life.
Glory up …and Amen.

What truth from today’s devotional is God using to encourage your heart? Share your reflection and join our conversation in the iBelieve Truth Devotional Forum.

Photo Credit: Chat GPT

Meg is a graduate of Ashland University. She is a writer, author, editor, and digital content creator. She stepped away from her job in Internet Marketing in 2008 to raise her daughters, which gave her passion for writing a chance to shine through her blog, Sunny&80… Life within the Love of Christ. Meg has served as a Children’s Worship Team Leader and Middle School Leader for her local church. She founded and led the Breakfast Club Bible Study for Tweens, has served as a Young Life Leader and Committee Member, and led Women’s Bible Study. She has also volunteered as a content creator for her local church, studied Bible/Ministerial Training through Global University, completed COMPEL PRO Writers Training, and is Ethically AI Certified. A contributing writer for Salem Web Network since 2016, Meg is now thrilled to be a part of the team at Salem Web Network. You can find her entire library of books on her Amazon Author Page. 

Related Resource: How Faith Finds Us When Life Takes a Detour

Joining us this week is worship leader turned viral comedian Heather Land. After growing up in the shadow of her mother’s decades-long addiction, Heather reflects on how this painful season—alongside her unexpected shift from the worship stage to the world of comedy—taught her that while our paths may take unforeseen turns, our core calling to encourage and uplift others remains constant.

Later in the episode, we’ll hear from Rachel Kessler, an Episcopal priest and Kenyon College chaplain who completed her PhD in medieval studies at the University of Toronto before pivoting to seminary after hitting academic burnout, then built a following as the “Nerdy Priest” on TikTok after a student secretly downloaded the app on her phone. 

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