Looking Ahead

Recently, I was reading Luke 10. At the beginning of the chapter, Jesus sends out 72 missionaries. As Jesus sent these folks out, He warned them that they were lambs being handed over to wolves. They were to depend upon the hospitality of others and proclaim the Kingdom of God is near. Jesus also offered this instruction, “Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” In the middle of the chapter, we find Jesus rejoicing in the Holy Spirit over all that God was doing. That sounds a lot like a prayer of thanksgiving to me. Finally, at the very beginning, we find Jesus praying in a certain place, and when He was finished, His disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. Prayer was a high priority for Jesus!

In his book, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, Timothy Keller wrote, “Prayer is so great that wherever you look in the Bible, it is there. Why? Everywhere God is, prayer is. Since God is everywhere and infinitely great, prayer must be all-pervasive in our lives.” Did you catch that phrase? “All-pervasive?” What, if anything, do you consider all-pervasive in your life? Generally, we consider that a bad thing, don’t we? If work is all-pervasive, you’re a workaholic. If a pastime, or food, or drink becomes all-pervasive, we start to use words like addiction, but prayer, this intimate connection with God, should be all-pervasive. The Apostle Paul described it as praying without ceasing.

I think what Paul meant and likewise what Keller had in mind is that our relationship with God would always be on our mind. That every conversation we entered into, every decision we faced, every moment in our day would begin and end with God in the middle. Does that describe your prayer life? Is it all-pervasive? If not, how do we get there?

Maybe the place to begin is by scheduling time to pray. The prophet Daniel famously prayed three times a day, even when ordered to stop. Monks in the Middle Ages prayed up to seven times a day starting at midnight and then 3 a.m., 6 a.m., noon, etc. Even for monks, this schedule proved to be very difficult. Perhaps a place for us to start is to get into a rhythm of praying in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. Consider setting aside some time to focus on having a conversation with God at the beginning of your day, in the middle, and as it closes out for the day. Remember to CHAT daily with Him. Confess your sins, honor Him for who He is and what He does, ask God for the help you need daily, and spend some time thanking Him for all He has done! If you want to join me for a time of prayer, I have two opportunities weekly for you. On Sunday mornings, a few of us gather to pray for the Sunday services at 7:00 a.m. in the fellowship hall classroom at Wallula. On Thursday mornings at 6:15 a couple of us pray in the sanctuary at Wallula. You are welcome to come and pray with me at either of those times (If you need me to pray for you at a different time, let me know).

- Lance

When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread,and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.

       - Luke 11:2-4