Barry Black serves as the Chaplain to the United States Senate. He finished a career in the Navy as Chief of Navy Chaplains and as a Rear Admiral. He said “Jesus frequently sought the strength-renewing reservoir of private prayer. If our chief pastor and exemplar depended so totally upon this wonderful exercise for His spiritual fitness, should we be any less dependent?”
We often struggle to find the time. Think about this: Prayer is an essential part of your day. If you are denying yourself the time to pray, you are actually declaring that you have no time for God! Is that really you? I don’t think so.
So, here is a very practical method to use your time to have a heart to heart talk with our Heavenly Father. This will follow the common method called ACTS. Do you exercise regularly? Walk on a treadmill? Go for a run? Go for a walk somewhere? You can use this method while doing so to spend time with the Lord.
Start with adoration! If you have a way to listen to some music while walking, make it some high energy praise music! Praise God for who He is. Psalms are full of praise and many of our favorite verses come from Psalms. When you adore and praise God, you take your eyes off of yourself!! As you can, look up and raise your hands in praise! If you’ve had answered prayers, turn those into praise so that they don’t turn into pride.
Next is the confession. Unconfessed sin makes the intimacy God desires to have with us impossible. David said in Psalm 51:7 “Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” Then in verse 12 “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey.” Keep walking while you are confessing your sins. Remember that King David even asked God to search for and point out the sin in his life. It’s hard sometimes to admit our own wrongdoing. 1 John 1:9 says “But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
Now on to thanksgiving. You can express thanks to the Giver of Life for all He does for you. You can also thank Him for others who have aided you in some way. The doctors who tend to your health needs. Teachers or perhaps a friend who offers support, or encouragement when you need it. Express your gratitude!
Lastly, we are ready for supplication. We are told to present our request to Him, so here’s the time. Perhaps begin by making petitions for others. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:18 “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” Pray for others peace and healing. You may know many details or just a few. It’s okay because the Sovereign Lord knows already. Okay, we are now ready to ask Him to meet our needs. Turn your worries into prayers. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.”
(Philippians 4:6 )
I also want to think about how listening is part of prayer. John 10:27 - “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow Me.” At the transfiguration (Matthew 17:5) - “But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.’ “
A young girl named Tammy described her feeling about her time in prayer. “Having a quiet time wasn’t like some chore I had to do. It was a privilege to meet with the awesome God of the Universe!”
Are you ready to MAKE time for prayer? Can you get up earlier in the day? Is there something you can give up so you have the time? Don't forget a prayer journal is a great tool. Write down your petitions and when prayers are answered, be sure and make a note!
Your prayer time can take a few minutes or an hour. What a great thing to have the discipline to do daily! God will use this to bless you and others.
Remember "His faithful love endures forever."
Until next time...
Chaplain Gray
