If the duty of human beings is to know God, we know we must spend much time in prayer, contemplation, and Bible study. In order to devote their full time to this pursuit, some have become monks. On the other hand, some of us feel deeply troubled that we spend only a few minutes a day trying to know God. We regret that we cannot spend more time doing this, but we secretly fear that a life devoted entirely to prayer and study would be boring.

There is another way—going out into the world that God has created, associating with other people, and working as He intended us to (Genesis 2:15). This will lead us into challenges, suffering, and pain. These things must not be seen as a hindrance to our quest for God (although they can be) but as a help. They may indeed show us our weakness and need and drive us to spend more time seeking God through prayer and Bible study. This is the mystery of the incarnation. God has entered our world through Jesus Christ. He is the God of history, the One who teaches us through our experiences as well as our prayer times. James taught that trials lead to perseverance and wisdom (James 1:2-3) and that blessings teach us about the goodness of God (James 1:17). Jesus did not chide His followers for being shepherds or fishermen. He used these experiences to develop parables which taught them about God. Why would God place us in a world where work has to be done if He wanted us only to pray? The two areas of devotion must work together. If, when we spend some time in prayer and contemplation, we cannot see God’s hand in our past experiences, then indeed we are limiting our quest for God to just a few minutes a day.