Daily Intentional Prayer

As we look at prayer, we continue to look at what prayer means.  It isn’t just a checklist of things we say.  But it is to refresh and enter communication with God.  But with daily lives we are continually loosing the daily time devoted to God, even when we live in a day where we have the Bible at our fingertips on our phones.  But I challenge each of us to take 15 minutes each day in devotions and prayer.

Here we see Paul talking about the faith of Abraham and that it was faith, not the law, that lead to relationship.  And it is through our justification through faith that leads to peace in Christians.  It is peace among Christians all over the world.  Not that there won’t be suffering, but that as Christians living as Christ we can rely on that peace in the midst of suffering.

Prayer is not this hope that “I am where you want me to be” but is an opportunity to be in His presence and drawing near to Him.  The idea that we could come into God’s presence was revolutionary.  Imagine the first century prayer was much different.  It was public and primarily done by the religious leaders.  It was lamentful and prideful.  But we see Jesus start to break down those barriers and gave access to each of us to come into the presence of God.  Oswald Chambers spoke of prayer to be a natural as breathing.  That we aren’t spouting word for the sake of words.

We are given permission to enter the Most Holy Place where God resides.  Prayer gives us access.  It draws our hearts near to God. It can convert sorrow to joy.  It will cleanse a guilty heart.  How can prayer effect us and those around us?  God is at work, and prayer removes the barriers in our own life to allow him to work through us.  God is at work in the life of believers and unbelievers.  Prayer removes the barrier so that we are sensitive to how God is working with us.

Prayer is central to the Christian life.  Both in-the-moment prayers and scheduled devotions. But when we set aside daily time intentionally, it prepares us and allows us to focus.  It also allows us to feel its loss when we miss it.  God wants to meet us in prayer.  Will me meet Him?