Prayer is not dreaming, so wake up! Prayer is a gift made possible only through Jesus. It’s a habitual act and dependent on your free will. The first battle is shutting the door of your mind. The mind is the doorway and God wants to chat with you privately. He speaks only when we choose to go to that quiet secret place of personal thought. It’s the place we are reluctant to go because we are fully exposed – defenselessly vulnerable. Our problems, issues and needs come flooding in along with the guilt and shame of neglecting His previous nudges. The great news is… He doesn’t care. He loves us unconditionally and beckons us to just come.
Have you lost your connection to what should be your prime source in your life? In our culture of media distraction, and the clutter of technologies that continually interrupt our lives, we have lost our ability to meditate and ponder the voice of God. That mobile device glued like a leach to our hand is doing just that. It’s slowly sucking the air out of our private life with God.
Re-gift to yourself the greatest gift of all this Christmas – the gift of Jesus. He made it possible for us to talk directly to our Heavenly Father. Here’s 3 things to ponder about prayer:
1. Make prayer habitual. As you look to the new year shut the door and focus on God’s voice. He made it a habit. Get out of bed and will yourself to focus, train, and make it a habitual routine – a routine you that will build a new level of strength and power in your life.
2. Start with Worship. I love the simple words in the Christmas carol written by Scottish poet James Montgomery, Come and Worship.
“Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ the newborn King.”
He makes it simple – only three things… Come… Worship… and finally… make Jesus your newborn King – King of your life. What are you giving birth to this year? What new born project, challenge, or journey has God called you to follow Him in doing? Make Jesus the King in every step you take by consulting Him without ceasing in prayerful worship.
3. Value the quiet. Ask yourself what time bandits are stealing your time and bankrupting your relationship with God. Re-program your life to be one that is purposeful and consistently pondering, meditating, and dwelling on God’s word and presence. Jesus was always leaving His disciples to go off and pray because He valued the quiet.
God gave us the gift of Jesus who taught us to pray – Matt. 6: 9-13 The Lord’s Prayer. Jesus left the Holy Spirit with us who takes our thoughts and prayers to make intercession for us to God. It’s a Christmas gift that rarely gets opened completely. Don’t set this valuable gift aside any longer – it’s a breath away.
What are you troubled with today? What is keeping you back and keeping you paralyzed because of fear? Shut the door – slam it shut. Come and worship.
John 14:27 NLT
“I am leaving you with a gift–peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
