07/25/2024
This morning we will contemplate the time we spend with the Lord. Although we aren't judged by the number of minutes that we pray, we should still spend a great deal of quality time walking, and talking, with God over the course of our day. Our prayers are the answer to the question that God asked Elijah… “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Has He asked us the same question? Have we ever wrapped our faces in our cloak and stood at the entrance to our prayer closet listening?
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”
James 5:13-14 ESV
The time we spend with God deepens our relationship with Him. Pastor E. M. Bounds warned us not to rush through our prayers when he wrote:
"Haste is often part of the great business of communion with God. Short devotional time is the ruin of deep piety. Calmness, and strength are never the companion of haste. Short devotional time drains spiritual vigor and the root and bloom of spiritual life." – E. M. Bounds
Developing strong relationships requires time together, they grow through shared hardship, common thoughts and beliefs, and an enduring love. When we pray we should not be in a rush; our time with God should be filled with patience, waiting, and a shared silence that allows us to speak with a fullness of thought and understanding when the words do come. Scripture guides us in this when it tells us to be still:
“"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah”
Psalms 46:10-11 ESV
There is a prayer that early Greek Orthodox saints wrote of in the Philokalia, and it was called "The Jesus Prayer," It is meant to calm the spirit and prepare one for deeper prayer, and a closeness with God. They taught it with these instructions...
"Sit alone and in silence, bow your head and close your eyes, relax your breathing and with your imagination look into your heart; direct your thought from your head to your heart. And while inhaling say "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me," either softly with your lips or in your mind. Endeavor to fight distractions but be patient and peaceful and repeat this process frequently."
Stilling our minds in today's society is difficult; how can we concentrate on God while racing through our everyday tasks and checklists as we attempt to speak with Him?
I am certain you can recall a time when you were speaking with someone only to have another person walk up, interrupt your conversation, and thus force the person with whom you were talking to turn their attention to this new conversation. That is what happens in prayer when we are interrupted by worldly thoughts while attempting to have an intimate conversation with God... so, "Be still."
Everyone is different but there is a proper amount of time that we should spend in devotion. You will know what your personal requirement is when you find that you have spoken from start to finish in prayer with God and not felt rushed at all. Anything short of this is hurrying through our time with the Lord.
Each conversation we have with someone has a point of conclusion, but it is hard to define that end point. It is best to use the old axiom... "You'll know it when you get there." When you pray you will know when that conversation is finished; when you have said what you needed to say and God has spoken His piece as well. Anything short of that satisfied and contented conclusion is rushing through prayer.
Pastor Bounds identified these short and unsatisfying prayers as a danger to our faith. He realized that in our rush we were placing ourselves and our busy lives ahead of God in priority. Bounds wrote:
"Short devotional time is the number one reason for backsliding. It is a sure indication of superficial piety." – E. M. Bounds
So, nurture your faith and devotion through deeply satisfying prayer. Our prayers should not only be satisfying to ourselves, but satisfying to God as well. He should have the time to relate His thoughts to us too. How often do we
This morning when we pray let's take the time to clear our minds beforehand, and find that stillness in which we will meet with God. Let's set aside the racing thoughts of our busy day that not only interrupt our conversation with The Lord, but raise the tension in our lives. Let's ask God to calm us and to give us His peace, then let’s sit with Him in meaningful and deep conversation. Let's listen for His voice as Elijah did...
“And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord." And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"”
1 Kings 19:11-13 ESV
Are we capable of being still? Do we hear the low whisper of God? Do our prayers give us peace?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for calling us to pray with you, and for not rushing through our time together, but dedicating quality time to our conversations. Help us to approach our time with you in like fashion by giving us a sense of peace and calm, and not allowing our worldly lives to cut into the meaningful time we spend with you. Father, take away the fear and the anxiety that is associated with the troubles that we bring to you, and steady our thoughts on your provision, and your willingness to help us. You have promised to hear us, and to answer our prayers when we ask them in conformance with your will, and in the name of your Son Jesus, so what is there that we should we fear? Who can harm us? Lead us into our secret places, and the peaceful alcoves where we can pray uninterrupted with you, and then still our minds, so that our attention is focused entirely on you. Give us patience as we prepare ourselves to enter into your presence, so that we are calm, and your Holy Spirit can surround us like a gentle and warm breath from your lips. In this way open not only our minds, but our hearts so that our spirit can join with you there. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who is not simply there watching as we pray, but is with us in our prayers. You walk with us through every valley, and lead us through the hard places of life… we are never alone. You speak to us in whispers too soft to be heard without calming ourselves and realizing that there is nothing you cannot do for us… no problem too difficult, and no enemy you cannot defeat. Let our prayers allow us to hear your voice, settle our fears, calm our anxieties, and heal the wounds of the world that cause pain to distract our attention from you. This is the day that you have made, the place you have provided, the peace you have given us, and the time of prayer you so desire to have with us. Send your angels to strengthen us as you did for Jesus, and reveal your will to us so that our trust and faith in you will be solidified as His was. Then, Abba, let your breath carry the Holy Spirit to us like a gentle summer breeze… and all of our storms will be abated in our prayers. Praised be your name Holy Father, and we will worship and lean on you all the days of our lives. Amen! Amen! Amen!
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” – Philokalia, ‘The Jesus Prayer’
Rich Forbes