The Point of a Quiet Time
The Preface
You know those, “you might be a redneck if…” quotes? Surprisingly, very few of those apply to me - though my high school mascot was a Hillbilly. But, I’ve got a Christian version of that for today’s topic.
You might have gone to church camp if. . . the acronyms P.R.A.Y. or S.O.A.P. mean anything to you.
But it’s not a joke, like those redneck quotes are. It’s a great method! And if they don’t mean anything to you, that’s OK! I’ll help.
P.R.A.Y. = Praise. Repent. Ask. Yield.
S.O.A.P. = Scripture. Observation. Application. Prayer.
Personally, the first memory I have of a quiet time was on the floor next to my bed using the S.O.A.P. method. That trusted outline carried me through junior high and high school on its time tested, reliable shoulders. Then in college I realized I needed to pray first because I had a hard time transitioning from Razorback athletic events directly to reading the Bible. I would do the P.R.A.Y. method some, but not always. Eventually by my third year of marriage, post college, I had transitioned away from any particular method. Not because these are not good (if you’re still using them - GREAT!!). No, it was because I needed to remind myself of the point of a quiet time.
The Point
As you may know, I’m a type-A, perfectionist, list-checker by nature. So, you guessed it, somewhere along the way the guiding acronyms became another part of my to-do list to make sure I was correctly accomplishing the goal of being a perfect Christian. *Sigh.* This doesn’t happen for everyone, but I couldn’t seem to shake it. I had to go back to the basics.
First, I’ll list out a few things that aren’t the point of a quiet time:
Being a perfect Christian
Being impressive
So you won’t have anything bad happen that day
To make someone else happy
To check it off your to-do list
So, what exactly is the point of a quiet time?
I like to define it as this:
A time of slowing down and minimizing distractions to be still with God through prayer and Scripture
The Practicality
When I began to approach quiet times with this definition, I felt a lot freer to actually live out my freedom in Christ through the area of quiet times. I no longer avoided doing my quiet time if I didn’t think I could do a super long one or complete all the steps. I no longer got upset when things didn’t go my way on the days I did my quiet time. I no longer worried about if I was doing my quiet time perfectly. Being present with the Lord became the priority and that provided indescribable freedom.
“What does a quiet time look like?” is another blog. For now, I want to give you a few ways to remember the point of a quiet time:
Write down or screen shot 1.) what a quiet time is not 2. ) the definition I provided, and remind yourself of it often
Have a conversation about this with someone; externally processing helps us remember and holds us accountable
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you when your quiet time motivation has gotten off track
Pray Jesus will help you believe true things about yourself and why you do a quiet time
Stop and pray for yourself about it right now. Seriously. Right now.
Remember, the point of a quiet time is slowing down and minimizing distractions to be still with God through prayer and Scripture. It really can happen consistently. I believe you can live what you know to be true. You can stay holy. You have the power of the risen Christ in you. And, oh man, do I believe in Him.
Y’all’ve got this!
Jackie
