Master of the Quiet Time

One would think that I'd be an expert by now at meeting with the Lord in prayer. But such is not the case.

I want to be a master of the "quiet time." For those of you who don't know, "quiet time" was what we called spending time with Jesus back in the day because it was an activity that was often (but not always) done in relative silence and solitude. The purpose of this activity is to connect with God through prayer, reading Scripture, meditation, worship, etc. We may use other terms today to describe this time with the Lord such as "stillness" or "devotional time." But whichever terminology you prefer to use, the purpose of this activity remains the same: to intentionally set aside time every day to meet with the Lord to worship Him, be in His presence, and receive from Him. And this usually includes employing a variety of spiritual exercises to facilitate this time with the Lord.

I want to be a master of this—the quiet time. This might seem a bit odd given that I've been a believer in Jesus for over two decades. Yet, I have failed to master this very basic thing. And I don't think I'm alone in this regard. The truth is, there have been plenty of seasons in my life where I've neglected this very basic spiritual activity. One would think that I'd be an expert by now at meeting with the Lord in prayer. But such is not the case as I've failed many times in the past to put intentionality, consistency, and effort in my times with God over the years. Although I'm quite late to the game, I desire to rectify this deficiency in my life. So, I've begun a quest to master the quiet time.

I do this for myself, first and foremost. As a disciple of Christ, I know I must meet with the Lord to grow this friendship I have with Him. This is an essential part of Christianity. I'm on a quest to deepen my relationship with God as much as I can. I will not be satisfied with just scratching the surface of this friendship. And I believe that Jesus desires the same deep friendship with me too. I also do this for others. I desire to help people be reconciled to God and I want to encourage them to relate to God well every single day. But I can only help people if I know what this is like—if I, myself, have "been there and done that" spiritually. There's a great quote that I really like from Henri Nouwen, who was a Roman Catholic priest and author: "The great illusion of leadership is to think that man can be led out of the desert by someone who has never been there" (from The Wounded Healer). I can't lead people out of the spiritual desert if I haven't been there myself and I don't know the way. So, I make every effort these days to meet with the Lord, grow my spiritual life, and practice the spiritual disciplines so that I have something to offer another sojourner when the time comes.

I've been serving Christ as a pastor for over 16 years. It's a bit of an embarrassment to say that I haven't mastered the quiet time. This is one of the first things I encourage new believers to do when starting their journey with Jesus. I, someone who has been following Jesus for far longer, should be an expert at this by now. But I'm not. I thank the Lord for His grace in the midst of my constant weakness. But with the power of the Spirit, I hope to change that. I hope to bring some level of mastery to this very basic but essential spiritual activity for my own sake and for the sake of those I've been called to serve.

Barnabas the Monastic

Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.