Is Prayer Worth My Time?My morning starts early. Well earlier than I’d like it to. I’m not like my friend who gets up at 4am ready to work out and own the day. Being a non-morning person, it’s always going to arrive earlier than I like. It’s not the time that leaves me sour, it’s the demands. I am a stay at home/homeschool mom of four sweet kids. So the needs start as soon as my first kiddo wakes up. Usually mid way through my coffee cup the bedroom door swings wide open with the most enthusiastic child in the house. My 4 year old son. He RUNS out that door with lots to say already about the day and what he wants to eat as he is quickly opening and slamming all the cabinets, pantries, and refrigerator doors demanding his breakfast. From that moment until bedtime my time is packed with needs that have to be met. So, is prayer worth my time? I feel like I have so little extra time in the course of a day if I’m making room in my “schedule” it’s gotta be important to get attention.On first glance the answer seems pretty obvious and if you have been in church for any length of time ( be it even 20 years ago at a 4 hr VBS drop in) you would say ummmm.. Yes, of course. But WHY is it important?
In the book of Mark, chapter 9, there is a story that gets my attention. There’s this boy who is housing an unclean spirit. He’s foaming at the mouth, having seizures, grinding his teeth and his father is desperate to get him help. The disciples are trying their best to rid this boy of his affliction but they are failing. Jesus walks up , the father asks IF you can do anything, have compassion and help us. (First of all, let’s give this guy some credit. I get we’re all thinking “ whoa sir did you just challenge Jesus?” but we do have the advantage of knowing WHO Jesus is in a way he didn’t.) Jesus responds with “all things are possible for one who believes”. The father of the child cries out “I believe, help my unbelief”. The spirit leaves the child and Jesus and his disciples head home. The story ends with the disciples scratching their heads a bit. Umm what was the difference? How was Jesus able to do it but we couldn’t? Jesus tells them simply prayer was the difference.
Prayer isn’t magic, but prayer does change us. The prayer that changed that particular situation I believe was the fathers. He prayed, cried out even, “help MY unbelief”. I don’t know about you but at first glance that seems like an odd prayer. How about please heal my son or please take this away from him and send it to that bully on the playground. Prayer is meant to change YOU. Not necessarily the situation, although in this particular passage it did. Prayer changes your outlook, your heart and the atmosphere of your life. It is a beautiful gift God has given us. We get to communicate with him whenever we want to. I think the question is….do we WANT to? Do we want to set aside the time to pray? Prayer changed that fathers unbelief and as a result I believe it increased his faith. So, If prayer changes my heart then yes, yes I do. If my heart is changed and softened by prayer in the morning BEFORE that sweet little boy comes running in then I’m going to make time for it. On my own, without the Holy Spirit prompts I would begrudgingly get up, roll my eyes, throw a fruit bar at him and turn on the tv and go back to my sulking that I’d even been talked to before 7am. Okay, that was a little extreme, I may not be THAT rude, but you get the picture. Prayer changes MY actions and ability to love people better. How? Time with Jesus does wonders. I know it sounds like prayer is all about me. It’s not. If I make time to pray it will be like a domino that affects everyone around me that I come into contact with. That careless grocery loader at pick up, that annoying know it all at the chick aisle in your local farm store or the patient who wants their whole room reorganized because no one does it right, in your last 2 minutes of the session. These little annoyances add up my friends. My time with Jesus changes MY reaction to them. Time in prayer with Jesus changes the course of your day. There are all kinds of prayers. You more than likely pray when there is a prayer request for healing, or your heart breaks for someone. You need God to move in some area. There may be some catastrophic event that is taking place around you or a continent away even. Those types of prayers we are drawn to pray and please pray them. Just don’t overlook the everyday prayer time. Make time for the one who can stir up your affections and change your heart. You need it, those around you need, and the world needs it.
Ephesians 6:18 “And pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
Romans 12:12 “ Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Colossians 4:2 “ Devote yourself to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
I mean…. If JESUS did it, then we all probably need to make time for it right?:
Luke 6:12 “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.”
Let’s get Honest. Take inventory,
1.how often do you pray?
2. What are you usually praying for? I.e. family, friends, the world, healing, just because?
3. Do you need to set aside time to pray daily that’s more convenient for you? (I find practicality usually results in success.) i.e. car time, shower time, before anyone gets up, lunch break.
4. In what ways can you see or hope to see prayer changing you?
Living -Watered 