Read Matthew 6:5-14.
Prayer
is the engine behind which your life of faith moves forward. Prayer is the instrument
in which God gives His people direct communication with Him. What a gift
that is to be able to approach a holy God in the confidence, grace,
and mercy of Jesus Christ won for us on the cross. But Jesus tells us that
prayer is a gift to be received, not a gesture in which to boast, for he
says, “When you pray, go into your room, close the door
and pray to your Father, who is unseen” (vs. 6).
There
is no greater time to pray than in a time of crisis and pandemic.
What would it look like for you to maximize this time of “social
distancing” as an opportunity to approach the Lord in prayer?
I appreciate how this passage reminds us that prayer doesn't need to be anything fancy or long. Prayer is private and personal, God simply wants you to connect with Him. During this time of social distancing, we are separated from many of the things that kept us busy before. We should use this time to connect to God in prayer more often and also reevaluate if that "busy" item maybe is getting in the way of our relationship with God.
ReplyDeleteI find my prayer life - or the lack of it - is a result of my focus. If I am consistent in focusing on my relationship with God through church attendance, devotionals, etc. then it is the most natural thing in the world to "check in" with God regularly, without even really thinking about it - just like you would with a spouse or a close friend. But when my focus shifts to other things, that's when prayer starts to feel artificial.
ReplyDeleteI'm reminded of the answer given to one who said they felt that God was far away - God didn't move, you did.