September 7, 2022

Colossians 4: 2 (NIV)

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time.*

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. They 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.

Praying just in times of emergencies or special crises works about as well as trying to breathe only when sick!*