How can a global worker struggle with having a “quiet time?” After all, aren’t we supposed to be “super Christians”? Yes, I can hear you laughing from wherever you are on this globe, all the way to my location in Poland. We know better, don’t we? 

Spending consistent time in Bible study and prayer has ebbed and flowed in my life over the years. At times, I’ve been very faithful, never missing a day and not even realizing when the hour goes by. But there have also been long stretches when even fifteen minutes in the Word have been a struggle. And don’t get me started about prayer.

It’s not by accident that a quiet time is considered a spiritual discipline—it requires self-control and practice. To be honest, I think that part of my struggles has been laziness, but I tried to defeat my weakness in the wrong way. 

Even though I know salvation is by grace alone, for too much of my life, I attempted to live the Christian life based on effort. For some reason, I held the erroneous view that I could earn “brownie points” by prayer and Bible study. If only I could spend long enough time with the Lord, I could overcome any shortcoming. The problem with this approach is that it’s ultimately based on my own strength. 

Of course, we need to get into prayer and the Word—not to earn anything—but to beg for God’s grace. Grace is what gives us the ability to focus when reading and praying. God’s grace is what allows us to triumph over any struggle, as opposed to trying to earn the victory by our own actions. What makes the difference isn’t our effort but God’s grace and our awareness of our dependence on him. Whenever we try to earn anything, grace goes out the window.

The author of Hebrews encourages us to approach God’s throne and ask him for help boldly. When we do so, God is more than happy to give us the grace we need—even for the ability to focus during our quiet times.