Fifteen Minutes
Prayer is not a wish list of things we hope to obtain like writing a
list to Santa Claus. God is not a magical genie whose purpose is to grant us
whatever we wish. Sure, we do ask for things, but that should not be all we
say. When we pray, we share with God our fears, our triumphs, our desires, our
plans. We seek His wisdom and direction. We ask for strength and discernment.
Prayer is an ongoing conversation with God and is important to Him. God loves
to hear from His children.
Prayer was important to Jesus. He often went off alone to spend time with God. “Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray” (Mark 1:35). If Jesus thought it was worthwhile to pray, we should also.
A lack of a prayer like actually reveals a lack of faith and a lack of
trust in God’s Word. For, when we pray, we are demonstrating faith in God, that
He will do as He has promised in His Word and bless our lives abundantly more
than we could ask or hope for. “Now all glory to God, who is able, through
his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might
ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). God has promised us the fervent prayers of
the righteous accomplishes much. “The earnest prayer of a righteous person
has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16-18).
So, why is it that so many believers only pray when we are in crisis and need something. It’s as if we see God like calling 9-1-1. We’re in trouble and we need help – so we pray. We should. It is important to acknowledge that God is there in the darkest of moments and He will respond. However, He is not just a police officer, fire fighter, or EMT. He wants to hear from us regularly. Not only when things have “hit the fan.”
Most of us are familiar with Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. Maybe you know her
by her other name – Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa was a Catholic nun and
missionary and certainly stands out among the world’s most famous and beloved
religious humanitarians of the 20th century. She is known for developing
international organizations of missionaries; establishing an orphanage;
launching a nursing home, health clinics, a family clinic; and giving herself
to various other charities. Perhaps Mother Teresa is most celebrated for her
choice to personally sacrifice common luxuries and comforts in order to care
for the most destitute people in the most destitute places. She certainly was a
godly woman.
I recently heard that Mother Teresa used to begin her day with prayer
beginning at 4:30 am. Yikes! Now, I am not a morning person and 4:30 am is a
bit early for me. However, I have decided to challenge myself and all of you
listening to me as well. For the next thirty days I want us to set aside
fifteen minutes. Whatever time your alarm clock is set to wake you up in the
morning, set it for fifteen minutes earlier and spend the first fifteen minutes
of your day in prayer or in God’s Word. Are you up for the challenge? Perhaps
after thirty days you will discover how much you have been blessed and will
continue to do it. Fifteen minutes. That’s all. Remember, prayers un-prayed
will be prayers unanswered.
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Remember you can email praises and petitions to southchurchprayer@gmail.com. I lift them up every Wednesday at 4:00 pm on Facebook Live.
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