Time is my Enemy

Luke 11:1-4 and Matthew 6:9-13

1.     What core issues does Jesus address as he teaches his followers to pray?

God is our Father and is to be praised. We should pray that it would be on earth the way it is in Heaven. The way God wants it and not the way we would have it. We can pray for our strength and sustenance for today. We should repent by confessing our sins. We can pray that we are kept from harm and temptation.

Which of these areas do you tend to focus on the most when you pray?

I do really well in acknowledging God as my Father and including praise terminology. I sometimes confess a sin that is heavy on my heart. I usually jump right into to “help me”.

Which do you need to focus on more?

I should do a better job of keeping a short list of my sins and confessing them often and asking for forgiveness. It would be in my best interest to focus on asking for help from temptation. I should probably address my daily needs more and focus less on my future wants. Definitely should look for God’s will in my prayers.

2.    What situations and life-experiences most naturally move you to pray?

It would be more appropriate to say that I’m “forced” to pray on Sunday mornings with the children. I guessing I naturally pray when I’m startled into fear. Yes, when I’m frightened, I pray more. When I’ve been hurt, and I react with anger I tend to fall to my knees and beg God for reasoning.

How can you use these God-given moments to propel you into more frequent and passionate prayer?

Well, I can schedule prayer time. That seems to be the obvious solution. When I must pray, I will. And I still need to find those 5 minutes to set aside so I can start. When I run and am startled by a deer or a car or a person who is not normally a part of my ritual, I pray, so it would make more sense to say a prayer before I run anticipating those situations that frighten me. I cannot prevent being hurt by someone, but I can pray that I am stronger. Before a situation when I tend to get hurt, I can say a prayer that I will be stronger in receiving the information that might hurt me. I can also pray that I can choose not to enter those situations where I tend to get hurt – that I can discern that which will be good for me and that which will not.

What situations and life-experiences tend to keep you from praying?

Busyness. A hurried schedule. A timeline. Being tired. Being forgetful. No alone time. Distractions. A lack of desire. Requests for prayer when I’m already over scheduled. That’s awful. I never thought of it that way. I don’t have time to pray as it is, but someone asks for prayer and it’s a burden. And someone who is always asking for prayer. Well, it gets annoying. As if God only has so much time for prayer and that person is using it all up. What silliness I harbor in my brain. It’s my own fault if my prayers are heard because I’m not praying!

What can you do to make these moments an opportunity to seek God in prayer?

I can go back to the last spiritual discipline and train in slowness. I know that I’m more aware of it now, but am still rushed. I can find that 5 minutes at all costs. I can be more humble in saying prayers for others. It is a gift that is given that someone would request for me to speak with God on their behalf. I can treat that prayer with more respect for what it is. A conversation with God and not just a “how are you?” “fine” exchange. I can challenge myself to say a prayer on my own behalf every time I say one on behalf of another. AND I can ask a prayer request of my own from the other person.

3.    What are some of the values of setting a specific time and place for prayer?

Specifically, for our hurry-diseased culture, it is necessary to add prayer to our to-do list at least until it becomes a habit like brushing your teeth or taking a shower. We have a specific time and place for these activities and they are necessary for our health. It is the same with prayer. Prayer is necessary for our health and there is a good and bad time to do it. You wouldn’t brush your teeth before dinner. Why would you pray before you went to bed when you are your most tired? You probably wouldn’t take a shower with an audience by choice. Why would you pick a place to pray without privacy? Should I forgo blogging in order to pray? Wouldn’t that be the healthier thing to do? Isn’t my morning the best place to place prayer? It is the closest I get to holy and sacred and alone … And it is when I am my most faithful.

If you have a time and place you have set aside for prayer, tell how this has helped you in your prayer life.

Obviously, I don’t have that time or place yet. I’ve been asking God, not very consistently or very sincerely or with much fervor, to point out a time and place for me to pray for just 5 minutes. I’m thinking, whether God-led or not, that it needs to be morning. I cannot allow myself to multi-task it – pray while walking the dog. So maybe, the 5 minutes before I wake the girls up. Now just to get away from the dog and his whining …

My times are in your hand;
rescue me from the hand of my enemies and
from my persecutors!

Psalm 31:15 (ESV)