Faithfulness, Not Perfection, Is Crucial for Quiet Time
Grace McCready
If you came to my home one morning to observe my quiet time, you probably wouldn’t be particularly impressed. My quiet time isn’t long or fancy. On a typical day, I sit down on my bed, read a short passage from the Bible, and pray for a few minutes (either by writing a prayer, silently praying to the Lord, praying through part of my prayer journal, or doing a combination of these).
But thankfully, as I’ve gradually been learning, I don’t need to have a quiet time that impresses or inspires outside observers; I just need to be diligent to come to the Lord.
The Significance of Diligence
I’ve written about this topic on the Wholehearted Quiet Time blog before because it’s something I feel passionate about. For a while, I didn’t have a regular quiet time; and that definitely wasn’t okay. Thankfully, by God’s grace, my quiet time has become more regular.
As Christians, we can’t let something as monumental as fellowshipping with God fall by the wayside. But sadly, I believe that some of us give up on the idea of having a quiet time because we’ve been told so many legalistic rules about how our quiet times need to look. In reality, quiet time can be quite simple and straightforward.
Diligence, not perfection, is one of the foundational elements of quiet time. Think about Wholehearted Quiet Time’s theme verse: “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13 NASB1995). Rarely are we able to find anything on our first attempt—whether it’s car keys, a wallet, or a phone. More likely, we have to make several genuine attempts to find whatever we’re looking for.
The same is true for our relationships with God.
A Lifetime of Growth
Lord willing, a quiet time is going to be part of your life for decades to come, not just today or tomorrow, or next week. Instead of trying to make everything about it perfect, just show up. Just do it—faithfully—with empty hands and an open heart.
You don’t need to read through an entire book of the Bible or pray for 30 minutes straight in order to have a worthwhile quiet time. Just come, friends. Be diligent to come and let Him do the work of perfecting you.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. (James 4:8-10 NASB1995)
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Grace McCready enjoys spending time with her family, hanging out with friends, and watching her favorite TV shows. She is the author of Real Recovery: What Eating Disorder Recovery Actually Looks Like. She shares personal stories and Scripture to encourage young women on her blog, Tizzie's Tidbits of Truth. |