JUST DO IT!

While preparing a sermon in a Nehemiah sermon series several years ago, I came across the following story:

As the story goes, three pastors were discussing prayer.  One of the pastors said he thought the best posture for prayer was pray with your hands in the air, your eyes closed, and your head bowed.  The second pastor said, the most effective praying was done on your knees, head bowed, and eyes closed.  The third pastor said the prayers which reach God the quickest are done while laying face down on the ground.

There happened to be a telephone repairman in the room working on the phone system.  He overheard the entire conversation.  He just couldn't take it and had to comment.  He blurted out, "You know the best praying I ever did was one time dangling upside down by my boots 40 feet in the air at the top of a power pole!"  Side note, in my mind, I read his statement with a serious hard core southern accent.

Can I just tell ya something?  The most important part of prayer is that you do it.  Whether it is private or public, in whatever physical position, eyes open, eyes closed, out loud, in your head, in a song, or in writing, etc...just do it.

I came across that story because I was studying prayer on account of the powerful prayer Nehemiah offered up, found in Nehemiah 1.  We can say from the text and Nehemiah's story that it is obvious the foundation of his public life was that his personal life was steeped in, bathed in, and shaped by a lifestyle of prayer.  It is obvious Nehemiah was devoted to AND dependent on God...and not just on the occasional Sunday morning, but all week, 24/7, 365.

We might examine our own lives and consider this:

If strangers were to read a biography of my life, could they honestly say: 

1. It is obvious that my personal life is steeped in, bathed in, and shaped by a lifestyle of prayer?
2. It is obvious I am devoted to AND dependent on God...and not just on the occasional Sunday morning, but all week, 24/7, 365.

Jesus taught us how to pray in His Sermon on the Mount in what we now call the "Lord's Prayer".  The Apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians that we should "pray without ceasing".  James wrote that the prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.  There will be no judgment regarding the "quality" or lack thereof of our prayers.  It is conversation with your Creator and the bottom line is we should just do it.  If we are to truly be "devoted to God", we will need to be in conversation with Him on a regular basis.  

Prayer -

Father, You are worthy of my devotion and dependency all day every day.  You deserve that I would make you #1 above all other things.  I pray Father that You would occupy the biggest part of what is a limited real estate of my mind.  Help me Father to more focused on You and less focused on me and my circumstances.  Amen.

When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens. I said, Lord, the God of the heavens, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands, let your eyes be open and your ears be attentive to hear your servant’s prayer that I now pray to you day and night for your servants, the Israelites.  

-- Nehemiah 1:4-6 (CSB)

#Missions #Evident #MásDeTi

Prayer Partners preparing for another day of Team Ministry on the mission field in Acuña, Mexico - Dec, 2018