December 30--Devotional--"Quiet Time"

Luke 18:11,12--"God, I thank you that I am not like other men...I have my quiet time daily..." (Helpful Eggerth paraphrase)
Luke 18:21--"All these I have kept from my youth (and my quiet times)"...(HEP)


This "quiet time" thing may be a little over-rated.

Don't get me wrong. I need the Bible--desperately and often.

(Once a day, in fact, is not generally sufficient for a man like myself. I have many holes in my body, from which truth leaks copiously, and consequently need repeated injections.)

But when I have a "quiet time," I eviscerate the Word of God. I downsize it from a mountain to a grain of sand by assuming a position of control. "Word of God," I say, "you are my servant. You will assist me today in my sacred task of compiling a truly stupendous evangelical resume."

So here's my advice. Let the Bible lead you around by the nose, and not vice versa. And for heaven's sake, quit having those stupid "quiet times."

But now I'm preaching.

So let me introduce the rest of my little discourse with a quote from Anne Lamott. "I thought such awful thoughts," says Anne, "that I cannot even say them out loud because they would make Jesus want to drink gin straight out of the cat dish."

This is hyperbole, of course, but Anne has her poetic license escrowed in with her mortgage, so she can get away with it.

And yes, Anne is not the only one thinking those thoughts.

And that's not even the worst part. The worst part is that I forget I ever thought those thoughts, or pretend I never thought those thoughts, or conjure up someone who thinks worse thoughts so that I won't feel so bad that I thought those thoughts.

What do you propose to do with a fellow like me? What do I need? Really?

I need the Word of God to tell me how teetotally screwed up I actually am.

But when I have a "quiet time," it's not the Word of God doing the telling, if you know what I mean.

So what do you suggest?

I think you would propose that I actually read the Bible. You know, like pay attention to the words. And that I swallow the bad news about myself with, by God's grace, a little fortitude.

And then you would tell me to start looking for the good news.

Which, by the way, is in there.