The Priority of Prayer

"The Lord is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous" (Proverbs 15:29)

A few words offered up without much thought - that is what many Christians regard as their "prayer life". Only in times of desperation or great tragedy is any thought put into the words spoken to the God of the universe.

Prayer is so much more than that. It is when we communicate with God, sharing with Him our hearts as He shares His with us. And then we respond to what He says, walking in the direction that He desires for us to go.

Instead of being an afterthought to our busy days, prayer should be a constant. It should be the element of our lives that we establish and maintain with as much diligence as we do getting up in the morning.

Not only did Jesus spend a large portion of His teaching ministry talking about the importance of prayer, He also modeled a life of prayer, escaping often to the mountaintop  to commune with God. In our desire to become more like Christ, we can imitate His actions as much as His words. And His actions speak much louder than words in this case.

Jesus realized it was imperative to maintain a constant relationship with His heavenly Father if He was going to obey Him. And He knew that no matter what happened, God would hear Him. "He hears the prayer of the righteous" (Proverbs 15:29).

Lord, I have been careless with my prayers. Help me to take more seriously these conversations with You, so that I can better understand Your will. Amen

~Charles Stanley~