Q & A Archives

These are Questions & Answers posed by ordinary people looking for guidance.  Dr. Judy Baus has thoughtfully answered each person and feels that these responses just might help someone else in their time of need.

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11/01/2009 06:50 PM

Dear Judy,
Recently someone whom I consider to be a strong Christian told me that I was trying too hard to get close to God. She said I was praying too much and too hard, and that I should just be still and let God handle my problems. I respected this woman so I took her advice. I began spending less time in prayer and read my Bible less often. What happened is that I lost my intimacy with God. Before taking her advice, I was spending a lot of time with the Lord, but I’m single and have no children so it’s not as if I was shirking any family responsibilities. Is it wrong to spend a lot of time with the Lord?

God knows my heart and how I want to be close to Him. But I’m not sure what the best way is to get there. 

Dear Unsure One,
First, I am sorry for the advice you received from what you call a strong Christian. From the little you told me, the woman seems way off base. I do not think anyone can pray too much! The Apostle Paul says we are to pray without ceasing! Throughout the Bible, we are urged to take our requests to the Lord. So how could we ever pray too much? We live in a world full of problems so we will always have requests to take to the Lord. It is through prayer and reading the Bible that we gain understanding and answers from the Lord.

On the other hand, the Lord does tell us to “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). And to rest in Him and trust Him. But that does not mean to do nothing. The Lord tells us to cast all our cares on Him for He cares for us (1Peter 5:7). We do this through prayer.

I can’t believe this well-meaning Christian meant for you to stop praying and reading your Bible altogether. This would be like turning off the engine in your car. The Bible is your engine for life, your instruction manual, and will keep your life running properly! To have intimacy with the Lord DOES take a lot of time and effort on our part. What we put into a relationship is what we’ll get from that relationship.

Yes, I will pray for you. Remember, most people mean well, but it is your responsibility to discern if their advice is biblical. The final authority of what is said is found in the Bible. I’m glad to see you are getting back on track building your relationship with the Lord by praying and reading His Word. By doing this you will build your confidence that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. He wants to help us on our journey through this life.