Spending Time with God is a Gift, Not a Guilt Trip

July 11, 2018

The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Exodus‬ ‭33:11‬

Traveling for work and pleasure can be exciting, by more often than not I find myself out of wrack from the shake-up in my day-to-day schedule. Partly from the soft pillows and lack of vegetables, but mostly from the disruption in my quiet time routine. I can look up on a Sunday night after a weekend trip and feel depleted, out of whack and anxious, and I’ll realize it’s because my time with the Lord has been lacking. When my routine shifts, my perspective and priorities do too. Because even though He has shown me over and over how He uses our time together to benefit me, when my schedule gets crazy, I can backslide into thinking that talking to Him is a chore. 

Growing up, I believed that having quiet time was a rule. More like a box to check so I wouldn’t make God mad and see His wrath. However, as with most Christian “rules,” I’ve come to understand that God uses our quiet communion to benefit ME the most. While He delights in spending time with me, He doesn’t need it. I on the other hand, most definitely do. 

What if we changed the way we thought about our quiet time? Think about your best friend. Now, think about how good it can be to share and catch up, telling them your good, bad, and even ugly truths. Communicating with your best friend isn’t an obligation. Most of the time it’s fun, and sometimes it’s convicting. Either way, we can walk away feeling loved. 

Now imagine that same best friend interaction times a million with God. With Him, we can be fully known, and yet fully loved. 

When we approach the throne of God, we’re gifted with love, wisdom, and grace to fill our cups. It’s not a progress check with our boss that we have to dread. It’s not a checkup with the dentist who is sure to shame us for not flossing enough. It’s a productive conversation with our person! 

Am I the only one who needs a reminder today that prayer is a gift, not something we should feel guilted or forced into doing?

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