David Lee Martin likes to say "prayer is not something you HAVE to do - it's something you GET to do."
In other words, it's not a burden but a privilege. You are meeting with God.
But like many Christians, I often find things to divert me from an extended time of prayer. Occasional quick prayer darts to heaven during the day are not enough.
For people like me, Martin has some sage advice - you have to make a habit of praying alone every day at roughly the same time and the same place until you can't get enough of God. You have to discipline yourself to set aside time with the Lord, no matter what is going on in your life.
The result in time is delight - delight in God.
Martin, author of Discovering and Developing a Secret Life of Prayer, speaks from experience.
"We begin by bringing our requests but soon realize that God answers with himself," writes Martin. "His presence and knowing and walking in him is enough. The focus soon shifts from things we want to add, to the satisfaction of seeking and finding greater depths of God to enjoy."
Martin has a loving relationship with God. Sometimes he calls him Papa, a word which may seem disrespectful. But it is a word - "Abba" - that Jesus used in Mark 14:36 just before his crucifixion and the apostle Paul used in several letters. As one writer says, it is a word that expresses affection, confidence and trust.
Good fathers love their children and want a close relationship with them. "God is more interested in you developing a deep, rich experience of himself than you are," says Martin.
There are many scriptures that speak of the benefits of prayer. And there are plenty of biblical examples of powerful pray-ers: Moses, Daniel, David, Jesus, Paul and more. All of these people made a habit of praying regularly and fervently to the Lord.
I especially love the picture of Moses and Joshua going out to the Tent of Meeting to spend a long time praying to God and seeking his direction in their lives and those of the Israelites (Exodus 33:7-11). The tent was apart from the rest of the community and was intended for people who wished to pray to God in private.
Why such emphasis on private prayer? Because that's where you can be yourself before God. You can pour out your praise and your complaints without limit. And you can listen for God's promptings in solitude.
Satan and our own appetites conspire to keep us from prayer. So there is an initial hurdle we must leap in order to pray effectively. We have to carve out a time and place in our schedule to pray.
Martin was just like many of us. Decades ago, he had to make a decision to pray in the same place and at the same time despite all the diversions that popped into his mind.
His first prayer place was his bedroom, stripped of anything that might take his attention away from God. Still, he often found it tough to pray for any length of time - sometimes appealing to God for help.
Over the years, he has set aside time in different places ranging from an abandoned warehouse to squeezing himself into his car to kneel on the floor and pray during lunch break at work. He sought places where he would not be interrupted.
"Your secret place is in reality a place in the spirit realm where you engage in intimate communion and partnership with God," says Martin.
Once it becomes a habit, this kind of secret prayer time is "the flourishing oasis we flee to in an otherwise barren landscape".
Indeed, he says that this prayer habit "makes stepping between natural and supernatural almost seamless". He no longer struggles with making a connection with God - it is almost instantaneous.
What an invitation to a prayer addiction! One that I want.
In other words, it's not a burden but a privilege. You are meeting with God.
But like many Christians, I often find things to divert me from an extended time of prayer. Occasional quick prayer darts to heaven during the day are not enough.
For people like me, Martin has some sage advice - you have to make a habit of praying alone every day at roughly the same time and the same place until you can't get enough of God. You have to discipline yourself to set aside time with the Lord, no matter what is going on in your life.
The result in time is delight - delight in God.
Martin, author of Discovering and Developing a Secret Life of Prayer, speaks from experience.
"We begin by bringing our requests but soon realize that God answers with himself," writes Martin. "His presence and knowing and walking in him is enough. The focus soon shifts from things we want to add, to the satisfaction of seeking and finding greater depths of God to enjoy."
Martin has a loving relationship with God. Sometimes he calls him Papa, a word which may seem disrespectful. But it is a word - "Abba" - that Jesus used in Mark 14:36 just before his crucifixion and the apostle Paul used in several letters. As one writer says, it is a word that expresses affection, confidence and trust.
Good fathers love their children and want a close relationship with them. "God is more interested in you developing a deep, rich experience of himself than you are," says Martin.
There are many scriptures that speak of the benefits of prayer. And there are plenty of biblical examples of powerful pray-ers: Moses, Daniel, David, Jesus, Paul and more. All of these people made a habit of praying regularly and fervently to the Lord.
I especially love the picture of Moses and Joshua going out to the Tent of Meeting to spend a long time praying to God and seeking his direction in their lives and those of the Israelites (Exodus 33:7-11). The tent was apart from the rest of the community and was intended for people who wished to pray to God in private.
Why such emphasis on private prayer? Because that's where you can be yourself before God. You can pour out your praise and your complaints without limit. And you can listen for God's promptings in solitude.
Satan and our own appetites conspire to keep us from prayer. So there is an initial hurdle we must leap in order to pray effectively. We have to carve out a time and place in our schedule to pray.
Martin was just like many of us. Decades ago, he had to make a decision to pray in the same place and at the same time despite all the diversions that popped into his mind.
His first prayer place was his bedroom, stripped of anything that might take his attention away from God. Still, he often found it tough to pray for any length of time - sometimes appealing to God for help.
Over the years, he has set aside time in different places ranging from an abandoned warehouse to squeezing himself into his car to kneel on the floor and pray during lunch break at work. He sought places where he would not be interrupted.
"Your secret place is in reality a place in the spirit realm where you engage in intimate communion and partnership with God," says Martin.
Once it becomes a habit, this kind of secret prayer time is "the flourishing oasis we flee to in an otherwise barren landscape".
Indeed, he says that this prayer habit "makes stepping between natural and supernatural almost seamless". He no longer struggles with making a connection with God - it is almost instantaneous.
What an invitation to a prayer addiction! One that I want.
No comments:
Post a Comment