Matt Perman
I am the co-founder of What's Best Next, which helps Christians be more productive in all of life, and author of the book by the same name. I am the former director of internet at Desiring God and now director of career development at The King's College. I blog at whatsbestnext.com.
Do you seek to have a daily 'quiet time'? If so, what does this time look like?
I seek to spend my time with God right after I get up. I find that I am more motivated to get out of bed when I can look forward to this right away, without having to shower or exercise or do anything else first (which can make me want to procrastinate getting out of bed). I’ll usually have coffee with lots of cream and sugar as I read my Bible and then spend time in prayer. I find this to be the easiest way to wake up, and then I’ll exercise or shower and get ready for the day.
How do you read the Bible?
I read about 3 chapters a day, reading each book of the Bible straight through. So I don’t use a formal reading plan, which I find hard to keep track of. Rather, I pick a specific book and read that all the way through. Then I pick the next one. And so forth until I’ve read through the whole Bible, and then I start over.
While reading the Bible right now, I am also reading each of the study notes in the ESV Study Bible and looking up the cross references. I find this helps me reflect longer over the text and see more fully the ties between related passages.
What practices have you found helpful for engaging with the Bible?
I have found it helpful to read through the Bible while also reading all of the study notes because that helps me linger on the text more, and then after that read through a Bible with no study notes so I don’t become dependent on them. I don’t like reading plans because they have you reading in so many different spots at once, which I find distracting and complicated. I just read through an entire book, then pick another one. This is simple while also providing order.
What does your prayer life look like?
I try to pray based on my vocations, praying for the key people in my life and outcomes, as well as for the global advance of the gospel. Of late my prayers have especially focused on a couple large concerns. I seek to have a dedicated prayer time in the morning, and then pray throughout the day.
