For the next few weeks I will be sporadically devoting time to the slaughter of various and sundry sacred cows. (Read: This is a series of blogs that will be interrupted whenever something better comes up.) For those of you who might be unfamiliar with the term, a “sacred cow” is anything Christians elevate to an unhealthy level of significance, to the point where it almost becomes an idol. For example, music is a big one. Some people can’t worship without it, and there are others who will almost get into physical fights about whether or not to include contemporary music in a church service. People get pretty heated when you start attacking their sacred cows, so I’m a little uneasy about this, but I’m nothing if not honest.
Today’s cow is a very popular trend in Christian circles, commonly called “ quiet time.”
What is it?
Time spent alone with God, either worshiping, reading the Bible, praying, singing, or relating to God in some manner. It is a private affair done frequently for no set period of time.
Is it good?
Yes. Anything that involves relating to God, or spending time in His presence is a good thing when done with the proper motive and in such a way that gives glory to God. There is nothing wrong with this, in principle.
When is it dangerous?
The problem with “quiet time” isn’t it’s purpose or it’s practice. The problem is what people do with it. It has become a cheap, self-righteous act. People are actually going around feeling super-spiritual because they wake up at 4 o’clock every morning and spend 2 hours in prayer. Then, they go to church and lord it over other people. “Did you have your quiet time this morning?” “I spent 5 hours in the Word this morning, it was such a blessing.” “You really should have a quiet time.”
It seems ironic to me that people who are so big on something called “quiet time” have such a hard time being quiet about their expressions of personal worship. It’s not that big of a deal. If you want to talk about total depravity and self-righteousness for a second, let me lay it out for you real quick.
Jesus commanded his followers to “pray without ceasing.”
We beat our chests and are proud of ourselves for spending 20 minutes to 2 hours out of a 24 hour day in private worship. That’s 8 percent of the day. Pretty far from the “without ceasing” command. In fact, we’re actually penciling God in, fitting the God of the universe into our human schedules. My point is, we fall blatantly short and then turn around and boast about it.
To make matters even worse, we make Quiet Time into some sort of sacred rite or requirement, and we make other people feel guilty because they can’t be spiritual enough to have a “quiet time.”
Maybe she’s a single mother with four kids, who can’t find quiet, let alone any time to herself. Maybe things aren’t going well at work, and he stays up at night worrying about it, and wakes up late, hurried and grouchy. He could pray, but he isn’t sure God is listening. Maybe the doctor’s just told her she’s not going to get any better. She has questions, but she doesn’t want to approach a God who terrifies her.
Could all of these people be spending more time with God? Absolutely. But sometimes God seems far away. It’s a natural consequence of a fallen world. We draw our bridge diagrams and talk about the bridge between God and man, and then we make people feel guilty when they feel separated from God.
Go into your prayer closet, Jesus said, and pray to your father who hears you. Don’t pray in the public square to be seen by men. Don’t tell people about it either. Yes, time with God is a great experience and it may have meant the world to you this morning, but for some of us, who are struggling at the moment, you’re adding a heavy burden.
To those who are struggling right now, and who are having problems praying, don’t feel guilty for missing your quiet time or not praying as much as some of your super-righteous friends. Chances are, you are experiencing God in a more powerful and real way right now. You’ll bend your knees, but for now, cry your tears and ask your questions.
God isn’t a librarian. He doesn’t demand quiet and He isn’t going to slap your hand with a ruler for missing your prayer time. God loves you and he isn’t going to love you any less for skipping out on praying. He also isn’t going to love you more for praying harder.