“Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.”  So Mark Twain quoted his friend, writer Charles Dudley Warner. With floods, hurricanes, and unseasonable heat, the weather has been the topic of conversation lately, but no one has offered any doable solutions. The weather remains in God’s hands (thankfully) and He continues to serve His purposes through it.  In the meantime, we will probably keep talking a lot about it and continue doing nothing about it. Unfortunately, prayer is another topic that garners more TALKING than DOING. 

We admit the ever-present need for prayer, we profess our belief in the power of prayer, and we talk about the potential of prayer to “change things,” but we continue to allow other things to distract us from the work of prayer.  Yes, prayer is hard work, because when we stop to focus on prayer, our enemy throws everything in his arsenal at us to stop us.  He, too, recognizes the potential power our prayers wield against him and he aims to stop us.

Today, I will add to the talk – or in this case the writing – about prayer, but I do so in hopes that this will remind us of our need to talk less about praying and engage a consistent, intentional, and daily time of prayer.  I want to share from the example of Jesus in Mark 3:7-12, when Jesus withdrew with His disciples from the crowd so they could give time to prayer. 

Three Reasons You Need a Consistent, Intentional, Daily Prayer Time

If Jesus, the son of God, withdrew regularly to pray, how much more so do we need to establish the discipline for our lives?  Let me suggest at least 3 reasons.

People Depend on Us

Everywhere He went, crowds followed Jesus, always wanting more.  They never seemed satisfied that He had given them enough.  All of us have people who depend on us, and sometimes that responsibility can extract a tremendous toll from our physical, emotional, and especially our spiritual reservoirs.

Withdrawing to pray means that sometimes we have to say NO to the requests for our time so that we will be able to say YES at the most important times. We need time to replenish ourselves spiritually so that we will have a fresh supply to give others.  We cannot draw fresh water to give others if our well is dry.

Life Depletes Us

As I read the New Testament accounts of Jesus’ life, I am always amazed at the pace with which He lived.  The more people heard about what He did, the more they expected Him to do for them.  He seems on the go constantly and always in demand.  He never had a shortage of ministry opportunities, and only by taking regular times to pray could He keep up that schedule.

I don’t know if you feel this way, but sometimes I think the earth revolves faster on the weekends than during the week.  The the time to get back to work seems to roll around more quickly.  Life happens so fast, we desperately need times of intentional withdrawal to enable us to keep up the pace.  Regular times of prayer recharge our spiritual batteries so that we are ready for what life throws at us. 

God Has a Purpose for Us

Jesus never let the demands others placed on Him dictate His time schedule or define His purpose.  Often, He told people not to tell others what He had done for them.  He knew why He was here and what He needed to do, and He did not allow others’ opinions or life’s circumstances to draw Him off course.

What defines you?  On what basis do you decide what to do with your time and energy resources?  Through regular times of prayer we stay in communication with the ONE who has a purpose for our lives, and in those times of prayer, He keeps us focused on what He wants us to do. 

In prayer, we learn to recognize the voice of our Shepherd in the midst of the cacophony of voices demanding our attention. (John 10:1-5)  That kind of focus can only be maintained through regular communication with God in prayer. We can get frustrated by others’ demands for us, or we can listen often the most important voice as He keeps us on His mission for our lives.

Let me encourage you to stop talking about praying more and simply do it.  Pick a time you will spend with God each day, and stick to it.  Schedule it and let nothing get in the way. 

For some practical ideas to help you in your personal prayer time, click here to read Focus Better with These 5 Prayer Hack