Most people do not pray or they pray to a god rather than to the true God who created the universe, Jesus Christ. "But Jesus didn't create the world," some say. Yes, He did.
The plan of creation came from the Father and Jesus carried it out and sustains creation to this very moment. We read:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made" (John 1:1-3, NIV).
At any rate, even though Jesus was and is God, He prayed when He was on earth and He intercedes to the Father on our behalf 24/7/365. But He despises repetitive prayers. Here I do not mean that we cannot continue to ask him for something, but rather I refer to canned prayers.
The Disciples
Jesus had an abundance of followers during His 3-year ministry. He had to make a choice of the 12 men He would pick to spread the gospel. And though He was and remains God, guess what He did? He prayed to the Father! We read:
"Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles" (Luke 6:12-13).
But this was the promised Messiah who had turned water into wine, who brought the dead back to life again, and even quieted the wind and the waves on the Sea of Galilee. Nevertheless, He felt the need to spend numerous hours seeking the will of the Father in this most important matter. Rather than sleep, He prayed through the night.
Intentional prayer
Now if God’s only Son Jesus totally relied on prayer so profoundly and gave so much attention to His prayer life, don't you believe we should follow His example? Of course we should!
We can pray anywhere and at any time of the day. We don't need a rosary and repetitious prayer, but instead intentional prayer that comes from the depths of our hearts.
Though God already knows all about us, inclusive of every act and word we have done and uttered, He wants to hear from us directly and on a personal level. We don't need anyone to confess to or intercede for us - we already have Jesus!
"For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5, NIV).
God is not your sky fairy
I find it sad that among those that do pray, they do so in a half-hearted manner. They pray only when in dire straits or when they want something. That's not how it works. Though He owns everything in the universe, He is not your Santa Claus dropping gifts off at your convenience.
How about this: let’s give the Lord our God a lot more than our final fading thoughts of our evening; and moreover, let us make prayer a priority in our lives.
Parting words
A fruitful prayer life necessitates intentionality or else it will be lost in the busyness of our daily lives. Pray from your heart rather than from some devotional or written prayer. If anything, pray the words from the Bible.
Think abut it: what is your plan for spending time with the Lord? Will you spare a few moments with Him here and there or will you follow the example Christ set for us and pray without ceasing?
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I agree with you, though we have busy schedules we must have a time for a prayer. Talk to God with our hearts. Wherever and whenever we are we can pray and thank God for all the blessings and ask for forgiveness for all the sins.