Why Should I Make Prayer a Priority?
n Jeremiah 29, the prophet Jeremiah tells us that God has said to his people, “You will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you.” (Jeremiah 29:12-14a)
This is one of many examples of God imploring us to seek relationship with him. Prayer is so important because it allows us to call upon the attentive ear of God, knowing that he will always be there to listen to our thoughts, concerns, and rejoice in our success!
If we think about prayer as being a tool for fostering healthy relationship with God, then it is natural that we would then want to pray everyday. This is similar to how we grow relationships with friends or a spouse through regular honest communication.
Prayer is powerful! When troubles arise, we are quick to offer our prayers to those in need, but we can do so much more when we are intentional about prayer. It is no small thing that we can call upon the name of God at any time. When we have a strong relationship with God supported through constant communication, it bears fruit when we go to him with incessant bold prayers.
What does making prayer a priority in my life look like?
Pray First!
We set aside time each day where we will pray for specific things, upcoming events, thanks for past blessings, forgiveness for past shortcomings, loved ones. We pray for guidance. We pray for peace. We pray that his will be done in all things and that our hearts could accept it. We must be bold in our prayers! For some people, this time will be in the morning, others in the afternoon, whenever we are most likely to follow through (maybe set a reminder the first few times).
We should also remember that we are beginners, and therefore should not set hard-line expectations that we are unlikely to meet (i.e. I must pray ___ long; If I forget I am a fool). In the same way that communications with our spouse will ebb and flow depending on the situation, time spent during this designated period should be determined by the content of our prayers and not the time we are trying to fit our prayers into.
Pray Throughout!
Paul tells the Thessalonians, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) This passage makes it clear that we should touch base with God through each day. One way of doing this is by means of quick rapid-fire prayers. Praying continuously keeps in our minds what we have already prayed for and keeps us focused on carrying out his will. Also, as we begin to look for them, we will find many things to be thankful for each day.
The point is, prayer is an important part of our relationship with God. If he is important to us, then prayer should be also.