May 18, 2011

Purposeful Quiet Times

 

I have done something scandalous recently – okay maybe not scandalous, but something that is counterintuitive to my Christian faith.  Want to know what I’ve done?

I gave up my daily quiet time for nearly a week

(Cue shocked gasps, tongue clucking from my Granny, and narrowed eyed looks from some Christians)

But I had a good reason. Recently, my daily quiet time had taken on the feeling of just another item on my to-do list. The routine was wake up, brush teeth, read Bible, pray, move on to the rest of my morning ritual. 

If something happened that caused me to miss that quiet time – think teething toddler – I felt guilty. I thought God was going to be angry with me if I didn’t read a passage.  Then while reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan – it clicked.

I need to be spending time with God because I longed for His presence. Not because I wanted to check it off my to do list, not because I wanted to earn brownie points.

So for several days, I purposely skipped my morning quiet time. And lo and behold, I found myself longing to read the Word, to spend time taking my prayers to the throne of my Heavenly Father. Just as I long to connect with my friends who live around the world, I found myself longing to spend time with my Heavenly Father.

I have once again resumed my daily quiet times. But now, I know that it doesn’t have to happen in a set time, place or way. Just as I talk to my friends at various times, in various forms, I am spending time with God – thru prayer, Bible Study, listening to worship music, and sometimes quietly sitting in my darkened living room – learning to “Be Still and know He is God.”

Moreover, I know that my motivations for those quiet times are pure - born of a hear that seeks the Savior.

1 comment:

Erica said...

Thats so fabulous :) Glad that going without made you realized how much you need and want it!