time for prayer?
Why is there so little anxiety to get time to pray?
Why is there so little forethought in the laying out of time and employments so as to secure a large portion of each day for prayer?Why is there so much speaking yet so little prayer?
Why is there so much running to and fro, yet so little prayer?
Why so much bustle and business, yet so little prayer?
Why so many meetings with our fellow-men, yet so few meetings with God?….
It is the want of these solitary hours that not only injures our own growth in grace, but makes us such unprofitable members of the Church of Christ, and that renders our lives useless.
Horatius Bonar
Taken from the Celtic Daily Prayer (Northumbrian Office), p. 91 (emphasis mine)
Ouch and Ouch.
I love to pray but it doesn’t mean it’s always easy to make time for it.
Right now I’m overwhelmed with trying to get my thesis in shape to submit it. And there’s other work that is pressing too. As I juggle with the demands it’s really easy to be tempted to skip a time of prayer – or cut it short – and skimp on reading the Bible etc. and this week the temptation NOT to fast from the internet on Friday is really strong. The argument goes ‘I have so much to do how will I get it done’ … but deep down I know that that’s looking at things the wrong way round. I want to be more like Martin Luther whom I’m told once said “I have so much to do today that I will spend the first three hours in prayer!” or like Br Lawrence who learnt to practice the presence of God and keep the channels of communication open wherever he was and whatever he was doing.
Scripture says we don’t have because we don’t ask (Jas 4:2) so my prayer today is
Father God, help me get my priorities right.
Help me get back to the routine of having prayer as the essential element in my day (more necessary than any meal!) Amen.
