A Scholar's Devotion

A Scholar’s Devotion with Karen Swallow Prior

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Going through seminary, students are taught to study the Bible and uphold its doctrines about God while also being encouraged not to neglect their devotional times with God. Yet during my own devotional time I, and probably many others, often asked myself, “Is this the best way to grow spiritually, or is there a better way? What could I do differently? Should I incorporate my studies with my devotions?”  

In this series I ask a different scholar two questions about how he or she spends time with the Lord and continues to love him with all their mind, strength, and heart. Since no one method or style is “the only way,” we can draw on one another’s experiences. 

This week I have asked Dr. Karen Swallow Prior if she would share her thoughts with us.

1. How do you spend your devotional time with the Lord, and how do you practically seek to deepen your love for Christ??

I do not believe in “devotional time.” I understand that some people live lives that are regimented and compartmentalized, and for them, designating certain times as “devotional” may be beneficial. In many ways, this approach is a product of modernity, with our overscheduled and overachieving lifestyles.

Most of my days are spent reading, writing, or speaking. Whatever I am reading, I devote to the Lord. Whatever I write, I devote to the Lord. Whenever I am speaking or teaching, I am speaking or teaching of the Lord. My days are immersed in words and salted with the Word.

To augment a life overwhelmed by so many words, I try to seek and find the Lord in the wordlessness of his creation, the book of nature. I feel his provision in the sun and the rain. I see his beauty in the white clouds floating in a blue sky. I sense his joy in the breeze. I am reminded of the source of all life by cheerful and affectionate dogs. I witness life, death, and resurrection in the flowers and trees.

I devote myself to enjoying these things as a form of devotion to the one who made them and who made me so that I could enjoy them and him.

I strive for devotion as Henri Nouwen describes what it is like to be in the presence of the Lord always:

To walk in the presence of the Lord means to move forward in life in such a way that all our desires, thoughts, and actions are constantly guided by him. When we walk in the Lord’s presence, everything we see, hear, touch, or taste reminds us of him. This is what is meant by a prayerful life. It is not a life in which we say many prayers, but a life in which nothing, absolutely nothing, is done, said, or understood independently of him who is the origin and purpose of our existence.

I seek his will most minutes of most days so much that I can sometimes feel my heart pressing outward from my body in search of his will, his direction, and his presence. I wake up in the morning, fall asleep at the end of the day, and wake in the middle of the night, crying out to the Lord, over and over, “Help me. Help me.”

All my time, all my work is devoted to my Lord Jesus Christ.

Some might say an undisciplined, unregimented approach to devotional time is laziness or avoidance. And it certainly could be that—just as scheduled, regimented time might just as easily be merely checking a box.

The test of our devotion to him—no matter what form it takes—is the fruit we bear. And that fruit, too, is devoted to him.

Karen Swallow Prior is is a reader, writer, and professor attending more closely to what is good, true, and beautiful. She has written many books, among which are The Evangelical Imagination, On Reading Well, Fierce Convictions, and Cultural Engagement (my review). You can find her on Substack and Twitter. 

Thank you, Dr. Prior!

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