This Is Me Living

I Don't Have Time to Pray

Raise your hand if you aren't busy.  Some of you are even too busy to raise your hand.  Busyness is all-too-often the go-to excuse for neglect of our personal time with God.  Jean Fleming said, "I find myself thinking, 'When life settles down I'll...' But I should have learned by now that life never settles down for long.  Whatever I want to accomplish, I must do with life unsettled." And, that's a tough lesson for control freaks like me.  How about you?

Oswald Chambers wrote, "Remember, no one has time to pray; we have to take time from other things that are valuable in order to understand how necessary prayer is.  The things that act like thorns and stings in our personal lives will go away instantly when we pray; we won't feel the smart anymore, because we have God's point of view about them.  Prayer means that we get into union with God's view of other people."  I believe that extends to God's view of everything we face.  Our willingness to capture time for focused prayer directly correlates to the value we place on prayer. 

Why not take a few minutes now to get God's perspective on your day?  I know.  Too busy, right?

Day 10 of 21 - PRAY FOR HOPE

Promises for those who pray

Psalm 6:9 The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer.

Pray today that God will continue to build up your faith and answer your petitions on behalf of the poor and suffering. 

Sometimes we feel like our prayers are ineffective and missing the mark -- like we're lobbing up bricks that are not reaching the ear of God. 

10 Principles of Prayer that can revolutionize your prayer life:

1. Prayer is your highest appeal, not your last resort. 

• Pray proactively
  

2. When we seek the Lord together, it multiplies our power.

• God certainly responds to a lone person's prayer.
• BUT, God does something special when we pray together. (Matthew 18:19-20; Acts 2:1-4)
  

3. Prayer is a conversation in the court of the King.

• Don't forget that it's GOD who you're addressing. Respect is in order.
  

4. Build prayer on the solid foundation of God's sovereignty.

• God is in charge, and is the final authority.
  

5. Don’t build your case to God based on what you deserve.

• God is not impressed by OUR holiness, and doesn't OWE us anything in response to what we've done.
• He hasn't dealt with us as severely as we deserve.
  

6. Build a case on God's agenda not your own.

• “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42)
  

7. Remind God of what He has done for others, and what He has promised to do for you.

• Reminding God reminds US. If He has done it before, He can do it again.
  

8. Don't always pray for God to make things better; pray for him to make you bolder.

• After being forbidden to speak in the name of Jesus, the apostles prayed, "And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness." (Acts 4:29-31)

9. Expect God to move in response to your prayer.

• "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." (James 1:6-8)

10. If you're going to ask, be prepared to act.

• The answer to your prayer is often the action God prompts you to take.
• Listen for God to lead you and prepare for Him to enable you to act with wisdom and boldness.