What would happen if a person devoted himself to prayer?
Would he get nothing else accomplished or would he change the world? Should we
be like the missionary I read about who said he had to spend the first two
hours of each day in prayer before he could begin his work?
There is no commandment or precedent for the optimum amount
of time to spend in prayer. Jesus went aside to pray on many occasions, but we
can be sure those weren’t the only moments he spent in prayer. He modeled a
life devoted to prayer – not by spending the day on his knees but by being
tuned in to his Father at all times. It’s as if he dialed God’s number once and
kept the line open from that point on. He and the Father were in constant
communication with each other.
A life devoted to prayer is not an actionless life. Pray is a verb. Praying is something
that you do. Watchfulness and thankfulness may be accompanying attitudes, but
they require that you watch and thank – actions. Watch for answers and
opportunities. Be alert and vigilant against temptation. Thank God for answers,
opportunities, and deliverance from temptation.
I challenge you to devote yourself to prayer. Determine to
dedicate more time for prayer. Be intentional in your awareness of God’s
presence throughout the day. Being conscious of his readiness to listen will
spur you to give him something to listen to. Use prayer to get to know God
rather than as a way to get God to give you stuff. Your life devoted to prayer
may not change the world but it will change you.
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