IS YOUR PRAYER LIFE HEALTHY OR ANEMIC?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
(Colossians 4:2)

MEDITATION:
If someone were to ask you if you thought prayer is very important
for believers, the chances are you would agree that it is an essential
part of the Christian life. However, if someone asked you if you were
committed to a fervent prayer life, you may not be able to answer
with an affirmative, “Yes”.

Some of us allow the busyness of life to rob us of the time we would
(should) spend in prayer. Making prayer a high priority is a struggle
for some of us as we struggle to make wise use of our time. If we can
omit something so we can get other things done, unfortunately that
‘something’ is our prayer time.

Sometimes we over-commit ourselves, and our time for prayer
suffers as a result. The demands of our jobs can steal our time
for prayer. Prayer time can also be ‘passed over’ due to the time
we spend on hobbies, sleep, television, attitudes, etc. It can also
be bypassed because we have a lack of concern for others. Some
of us just fail to give prayer its proper priority.

When prayer is really important to us, we will purposely set aside
a certain amount of time to pray. One of the greatest benefits of
prayer is, it changes us. When we pray, it puts us in touch with God
and His direction for us. It also is valuable in contributing to our
humbleness (a characteristic of Jesus) because we take the time to
pray unselfishly for others (we consider their importance too).

We live fast-paced, hectic lives and we some of us tend to try and
resolve all issues in our own strength. At some point, we finally
realize some things are bigger than our abilities to ‘fix’, and we
take our burdens to God as a last resort (instead of our first resort).

It is only through prayer that we can get a better understanding
of the Lord’s ways. Prayer draws us closer to Him and helps us
to know Him better. Look at our advice in 1 Peter:
    Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
    (1 Peter 5:7)
How can we ‘cast our anxieties on Him’ without praying faithfully?

We can see the connection between anxieties and prayer in Philippians:
    Do not be anxious about anything, but in every
    situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
    present your requests to God.
    (Philippians 4:6)
Again, prayer is the venue for alleviating our anxieties.

Have you ever prayed about an issue, but picked it up again
and tried to resolve it yourself? It is only through a continuous
prayer life that we can release our cares and place them in God’s
hands. When we have committed our life to Him and we have a
sincere desire for His will to be our will, then and only then, can
we cast our cares upon Him and trust Him to help us. As difficult
as it is, when we cast our cares on Him, we need to leave them there.

Prayer is the greatest tool the Christian has at his or her disposal.
Continuous prayer produces faith, moves mountains, and molds
us into the character and image of Jesus. In 1 Thessalonians, we
are told to pray continuously.
    Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks
    in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for
    you in Christ Jesus.
    (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

We should make it a priority to set aside a time every day for prayer,
and we should also pray throughout the day. Prayer is a conversation
with the Lord, so when we pray, we should include times of pausing
and listening.

Prayers don’t have to be filled with our words, and they don’t
necessarily become more effective when they are long. God
reads our heart – He listens and responds to our humbleness
and sincerity. Remember, when we pray, we are ‘asking’ for
God to help us; we aren’t ‘telling’ Him how to do it.

ACTION:
How would you answer these questions?
    – How would I describe my prayer life?
    – Do I pray at all?
    – Do I have time in my day scheduled for prayer?
    – Do I only pray when I have specific needs?
    – Do I ask the Lord to mold me into the person He wants me to be?
    – Do I thank Him for my blessings, and for answered prayers?
    – Do I pray intercessory prayers for others?
    – Do I ask others if they have something they need me to pray about?
    – Do I pray for the sick and the lost souls?
    – Do I pray throughout the day?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, please forgive me if I have failed
to give enough attention to prayer and consider how
critical it is for me, and others. Help me to rearrange
my schedules and priorities so that I always have time
to pray each day. Teach me how to pray throughout
the day. When I pray, bring to my mind others who
need me to pray for them. Thank You for the gift of
prayer. Remind me of how I can be changed when
I pray faithfully, continually, and unselfishly.”

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