Treasured Realization- Are You Devoted To Prayer?
Are you devoted to prayer? Or do you struggle to pray on a regular basis? Steph shares some tips on how to make prayer a priority in your life!
Devoted To Prayer
I’m reviewing the passages in the New Testament that refer to prayer and have come face-to-face with some challenging realities.
The early believers were devoted to prayer.
Am I? No.
Do I want to be? On one level. However, I know to be truly devoted to anything or anyone requires time and sacrifice.
What will I give up? Will I give up time in front of the TV? Pursuing certain aspirations? Social networking?
The 1st century believers were in danger of being persecuted, and yet, they devoted themselves to meeting together for prayer. It seems they were learning the truth of Acts 14:22. The early church leaders were
strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God (ESV).
Acts 14:22
Devotion To Faith
Did you catch that? “… through many tribulations.”
Maybe that’s my problem. I don’t face enough opposition to my faith. Not really.
There are brothers and sisters in Jesus all around the world who know what it’s like to be persecuted for their faith. And in many cases, their faith is far stronger, their devotion far more unmistakable.
Perhaps you’re one of them. If so, I would encourage you with the words of Galatians 6:9:
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (ESV)
Galatians 6:9
May the Lord strengthen and uphold you. And may you continue to serve as a testimony to many.
Do I want to wait until real persecution is as close as my front door? No.
Do I foresee this time coming? Yes, I do.
But now is the time to devote myself to prayer and the study of God’s Word.
I am strongly opposed to hypocrisy, but sadly, I see it in my own life. I know that prayer is not only commanded in the Scriptures but also a tremendous privilege.
The Holy of Holies
Think of it. We’ve been invited into the Holy of Holies. Because of Jesus’s death on the cross, the veil that separated us from the Father’s presence has been torn in two.
Matthew 27:51 is one of my favourite verses in all of Scripture. It tells us what happened when Jesus died.
And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split (ESV).
Matthew 27:51
Even though I know these things to be true, too often I allow myself to become distracted, to become busy with a hundred other things.
This must stop.
Making Prayer A Priority
Below are some ideas for making prayer a priority. Will you join me as I seek to implement them?
Research for yourself what the Bible says about prayer. First Thessalonians 5:17 instructs us to
Pray without ceasing
I Thessalonians 5:17
In Matthew 6, Jesus gives us a framework for prayer. We know it as the Lord’s Prayer. Philippians 4:6 gives us the remedy for anxiety. It says,
But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God (ESV).
Philippians 4:6
And these verses are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
Choose a Prayer Closet
Set aside an area of your house as a “prayer closet,” even a small corner dedicated exclusively to seeking the Lord. You may want to have your prayer journal, Bible, and study aids readily at hand, but nothing that will distract you—and definitely not access to the Internet.
Daily Planner
Add “prayer” to your daily planner—and do so in pen. If at all possible, include it at the same time every day. Make this “appointment with God” a priority.
Empty Spaces
Fill in those empty spaces with prayer. You know the ones I’m talking about: waiting in the drive-through, traveling by car (or by other modes of transportation), sitting in a traffic jam, washing dishes, walking the dog …
Prayer Partner
Commit to a specific time each week to connect with a prayer partner. We are encouraged to have accountability partners in many areas. I have joined both weight loss and decluttering groups on Facebook. And these are just two of many such groups I belong to. However, I don’t have a prayer partner. It just may be time to change that. (A word of encouragement: if you do meet with a prayer partner, seek to pray more than you talk about the items on your list—and other things.)
For further study, I encourage you to look up the references to pray and prayer listed on a site such as biblegateway.com and read the surrounding verses as well in order to more fully understand the context.
Do you have a prayer request you’d like to share with us? Contact us!
Steph Nickel
Steph Beth Nickel is eclectically interested and eclectically involved. In all she does, Steph seeks to nurture and inspire. She is currently working on the first book in a nonfiction series. Nurture and Inspire LOVE is a compilation of the first devotionals she wrote for HopeStreamRadio.
Steph is a freelance writer and editor. She is the coauthor of Paralympian Deb Willows’ award-winning memoir, Living Beyond My Circumstances, published by Castle Quay Books. Deb and Steph are working on a follow-up book.
You can visit her website, stephbethnickel.com, to learn more about her.
Visit Steph’s contributor’s page or at Steph Nickel’s Eclectic Interests.
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