http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2018:1-8&version=NIV1984
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%204:31&version=NIV1984
"The best time for prayer isn't found. It's made." Catherine Marshall
Yesterday I posted about how much of the prayers that reach God’s ears are perfunctory. Routine. Hasty. Superficial. Now we might expect these kind of prayers from those who don’t know Jesus. But this shouldn’t be the regular method of praying by those of us who do know Jesus. And we wonder why our churches struggle so much. And why there is little power or holiness evident in the lives of believers. What is the solution? The opposite of perfunctory prayer.
This would be dynamic prayer. Deep prayer. Intimate prayer. Extended times of prayer. A half hour. An hour. Seasons of prayer. Maybe even a night of prayer. Read the writings of any of the great prayer warriors of the past. People like E. M. Bounds. George Mueller. Andrew Murray. Prayer was not some trivial pursuit for them. It was their very life. They prayed often. They prayed hard. They prayed with passion. They stormed the gates of Heaven. The result was that God worked mightily in their lives. And in their ministry. We need to imitate their example.
In addition to our short, spontaneous prayers throughout the day, we need extended times of prayer. At least a half hour. An hour would be better. Every Spring our church has a Day Of Prayer. People sign up to pray between 9 AM and 9 PM in half hour slots. I am always amazed each year how quickly 30 minutes goes. It seems like I just start praying and the time is already up. Then we have host several Half-Days of Prayer. This consists of a Saturday where people come to church and pray from 8 or 9 AM to noon. These are always good times. I look forward to them. The past couple years, when I travel to Billings (450 miles one way), I keep the radio and CD player off. And I pray. I might pray for several hours. Once again, it always ends up being a great time.
In Matthew 6:6, Jesus gave us another prerequisite for effective prayer. “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” The old KJV version translated ‘closet’ for room. In other words, we need a place where we can be alone with God. Some place, any place, where they are no people. No distractions. A place where we don’t see work sitting around us, waiting to be done. A place where technology cannot intrude. And the needs of people aren’t demanding our attention. This kind of place promotes intimacy with God. The ability to truly connect with Him. In the quietness, we can hear God’s voice. This place could be anywhere. An office. A bedroom. A living room. A kitchen. A shed. An isolated spot outside.
This would be dynamic prayer. Deep prayer. Intimate prayer. Extended times of prayer. A half hour. An hour. Seasons of prayer. Maybe even a night of prayer. Read the writings of any of the great prayer warriors of the past. People like E. M. Bounds. George Mueller. Andrew Murray. Prayer was not some trivial pursuit for them. It was their very life. They prayed often. They prayed hard. They prayed with passion. They stormed the gates of Heaven. The result was that God worked mightily in their lives. And in their ministry. We need to imitate their example.
In addition to our short, spontaneous prayers throughout the day, we need extended times of prayer. At least a half hour. An hour would be better. Every Spring our church has a Day Of Prayer. People sign up to pray between 9 AM and 9 PM in half hour slots. I am always amazed each year how quickly 30 minutes goes. It seems like I just start praying and the time is already up. Then we have host several Half-Days of Prayer. This consists of a Saturday where people come to church and pray from 8 or 9 AM to noon. These are always good times. I look forward to them. The past couple years, when I travel to Billings (450 miles one way), I keep the radio and CD player off. And I pray. I might pray for several hours. Once again, it always ends up being a great time.
In Matthew 6:6, Jesus gave us another prerequisite for effective prayer. “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” The old KJV version translated ‘closet’ for room. In other words, we need a place where we can be alone with God. Some place, any place, where they are no people. No distractions. A place where we don’t see work sitting around us, waiting to be done. A place where technology cannot intrude. And the needs of people aren’t demanding our attention. This kind of place promotes intimacy with God. The ability to truly connect with Him. In the quietness, we can hear God’s voice. This place could be anywhere. An office. A bedroom. A living room. A kitchen. A shed. An isolated spot outside.
Once again, looking at the example of Jesus, we find that He arose early in the morning and went to a deserted place in order to commune with His Father. Another time He went to the top of a mountain to pray. Then there were the times when He prayed with His disciples in the Garden Of Gethsemane. If the Son of God needed quietness and isolation to pray, then it is an absolute must for us as well. Tomorrow I want to look at some things we can do to help us with our prayers.
Lord, help me to take time to be with You. Unbroken, unhindered, quality time in Your presence. Help me to find a place where I can avoid people. And distractions. Give me the discipline to set aside the technology that threatens to come between You and me. May I guard these times zealously. May much spiritual fruit result from our time together. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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