How Do We Schedule Prayer?

There are many times in our life we are extremely motivated to pray. A crisis, hope, all consuming fear will drive us quickly to our knees. It is almost an instant reflex - a cry for help to the God who can.

But prayer and God is much more than a relief system, it is about a relationship - and they take time and effort. As we grow in the area of prayer, a daily time set aside to pray is a valuable and powerful tool in our walk with the Lord.

I Thessalonians 5:17 encourages us to 'pray without ceasing'. Although the constant action of prayer continually is not feasible, our attitudes can be in tune to talking or listening to God all through the day. It should become a natural part of our thinking, not only in our scheduled prayer time but through the chaos each day may bring.

God desires that prayer become an ongoing opportunity we engage in by quietly praising, thanking and leaning on Him at any moment. But along with this constant attitude of prayer, there should be a daily commitment to pray. A time to intentionally focus only on prayer.

Scheduling a prayer time reveals the priority we place on prayer. If we make a scheduled time to pray, we are less likely to forget to do it or put it off until a later time (which usually never happens). Anything important enough for us is something we make time for. The benefits of prayer are eternal treasures from the Word of God and the opportunity to talk with God our Father to share our hearts and needs.

Will you determine today that prayer will be a priority? Will you make the choice to begin each day in prayer. Begin small and watch God multiply blessings in your life.

Comments

Sometimes We Score, Sometimes We Block

Our family is in the midst of little league soccer season. My youngest son is playing and his enthusiasm is contagious. He is pretty good at the sport, but what makes it so great is that he loves it! He counts the days until the next game or practice. He loves his coach and teammates. He has moved up an age level this year and the players are working more like team, passing to each other and watching out for each other during play. During the last game, my son scored two goals, they were the only goals of the game. In today's game the team scored eight goals. My son came up afterwards to me and said, "I didn't score today, but I blocked". What a powerful truth those words can hold. In life, sometimes we score, sometimes we block. Sometimes we do great things, we excel, we achieve, we meet our goal - we score! There are also times we see the needs of others, sometimes they are sad or hurting, we block their hits. We look out for them so they can score. We

Relationships and Redemption

In every friendship or relationship, there is a common hope that they will grow and flourish. There is something inside of us that longs for a 'happy every after' story. We dream about it and work to make that happen. But in reality, relationships are a challenge. The bridging of values, lifestyles, interests and sacrificing for another are simply hard things to do! No matter how much we dream of the perfect fit, some relationships will not endure the stress. When differences appear and tensions arise, prayer can change situations, attitudes and ourselves. For the Christian, we know God can transform, change, heal. We cannot change others, but prayer opens us the door for God to step in and answer. God desires transformation, but does not demand it. The gift of free will allows us to choose to say Yes or No to Him. Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Take notice of the first two words: “If possible …” This implies that some

A Blank Page - A Great Way to Fill It

A blank page - that is the first view of a new blog post. It has been a while since I have faced the blank page of my little blog! A blank page can bring a variety of emotions - emptiness, anxiety, pressure to perform or emotions such as inspiration, encouragement or simply bursting to share something. But there is always something fresh and exciting about the blank page of a New Year. Happy 2023! This is always a time in my life where inspiration and plans are formed and ready to be implemented for greater change. Aspirations may start strong, but alone do not make a difference. It takes consistency to create change. The changing or adding small habits is a key to great changes. A habit that has been beneficial in my life for many years is rising early. It began when the children were small and was the only pocket of time I had to myself. Through the years, mornings have become my favorite time of the day. Now that my husband and I are empty nesters, we go to bed early and rise early.

Joyfull Living

Search This Blog