Prayer?

Alarm.

Snooze.

Alarm.

Snooze.

Eyes blink open.

Frown.

Morning alrea.....ALARM!!!

Alarm off.

Phone on, screen bright.

Click through blinking eyes to morning devo.

Read.

Think.

Thank You for the day God.

maybe not the morning

Roll out and stumble.

The day begins.

ROUTINE.

Work.

Work.

Work.

Chat.

Work.

HOME......and relax. 

or try

Waste time.

Sleep.

Remember to read devotional. 

Sleep. 

or try

Start over.

If you’re anything like me.....this may resemble your day.  Every day is pretty much the same, give or take a few aberrant events now and then.  One thing is definitely consistent though, and that is my “lack of time for prayer”.  Now. I pray. I do. And it’s often throughout the day, while I’m in transit to this or that, but rarely....meaning.....pretty much never....do I stop to listen when I pray. “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him; on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him; he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.” (Job 23:8-9) I’m being totally honest. When there are huge discrepancies in my thought process of how an event should go, there are times where I’ll try to converse with God.....tell Him how I feel, what I think the options are that He could choose to make happen, tell Him which of those I think would be best, and pause. Green light....GO. New thought process. And so the day goes on.

Yesterday, I was talking with co-workers about prayer. Since we just got done with a time of intentional prayer & fasting the topic has been on the forefront of my mind.  Anyway, we were chatting about prayer, and talking how it’s hard to find the time to pray, or even just thinking of it as an option when we do have the time.  “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (1 Chronicles 16:11)

I remembered a time in my senior year of college, where I had decided to get serious about prayer....and actually listening to what God would say back. So I set a date to start, and decided that I would pray for an hour every day until I graduated. I began. and each morning I would wake up, roll out of bed before the sun, read some chapters of the Bible, pray, write down things I wanted to pray about, and then sit for a while and listen. If anything else popped into my head (like a distraction) I’d write it down and tell myself to remember to think about it later because this time was for the Lord.  When I would finish, sometimes I’d go back to sleep for a few minutes before REALLY getting up, but for the nine or so months of my last year in college, I think I only missed a few days....which is probably some record for an initiative I’ve set for myself. But as I remember that time, I remember how God really did answer my prayers, more so than I had ever seen happen before. And it wasn’t always that He answered them in a way I thought he should but it seemed like even if He answered differently, at least I was aware that He did indeed answer. There were a few specific prayers that I prayed and didn’t share with those around me, which months later I got a call that answered almost all of them, in 300 seconds, even quoting exact phrases I had prayed, without ever knowing that was what I was praying! It blew my socks almost literally off. :) “‘Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.’” (Jeremiah 33:2-3)

So I wonder, if I have those thoughts and memories of such a strong & life-giving experience with God, why wouldn’t I continue, or be able to just tell my will-power to just do this! Have you had any of these same experiences? What’s gotten you back on board? “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.” (Proverbs 8:17) 

Please share your thoughts & tips. I need them. And want to get serious again....