In a sentence, the rhythm of the Christian life is a biblically-based, centuries-old belief that time alone with God and time together with others are intimately connected and work in tandem to glorify God.

What is the rhythm?

The moment we hear the word “rhythm” related to our spiritual life, we probably think about balancing work and rest, maintaining certain tempos in life, or perhaps liturgical practices. We think about balancing two compartmentalized aspects of the Christian life instead of infusing each aspect with the other. While all of those things are good to consider, there is still a more basic need for us to understand and take seriously: the rhythm of the Christian life.

In a sentence, the rhythm of the Christian life is a biblically-based, centuries-old belief that time alone with God and time together with others are intimately connected and work in tandem to glorify God.

Therefore, “the rhythm” is not some nebulous slot somewhere between spiritual disciplines and experiencing life seasonally. We are also not dealing with the individual muscles or bones in the body, but rather the connecting tissues and tendons and how the entire system works together in our Christian life. It is the awareness of how our daily time alone and time together relate to each other in an alternating way.

The Rhythm of the Christian Life

In the rhythm of the Christian life, individual desires to be served turn into Christlike desires to serve others (Mark 10:45). Individual goals and interests become secondary to the goals and interests of other believers (Phil. 2:3–4). Individual attitudes grow into joining attitudes (Heb. 10:24–25). Living in the rhythm of the Christian life means that personal prayer includes intercessory prayer for others. It means that individual Bible studies and communal Bible studies work in tandem. It means that solitude and fellowship are spiritually connected and supernaturally support each other.

Together, the two-beat rhythm of the Christian life fosters godliness, health, and love. If we do not have time alone, then we will eventually fail during our time together. If we do not have time together, then we will ultimately fail in our time alone.

How Can We Live in the Rhythm?

Many things will compete to defeat the rhythm in our lives. Even now, as we stop and look over our shoulder, we can see some of the things that are vying for our time, and if left unchecked, will throw us off balance. For instance, with the blessings of technology have come the curses of being unrhythmical. We can work in industries that require the tough work of shift work—throwing off our biological clocks. We can be on call from anywhere at any time—hindering our regular intervals of undistracted time alone. We can communicate with people we will never meet in person—preventing physical presence and authentic community.

How, then, do we do it? How do we follow God’s pattern for our life and resist the devil’s strategies to obstruct it? How can we possibly infuse this rhythm into our lives, especially if our life is already out of sync?

In Scripture, we see an effective plan played out in Ezra’s life: “For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statues and rules in Israel” (Ezra 7:10; italics added).

Therefore, let us get practical and intentional by following Ezra’s three-fold progression.

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