The Practice of Prayer

I remember when I faithfully spent time reading God’s Word.  I would get up early and spend a few quiet moments just me and God or else after work, I would come home before my husband got off and have some time then to study.  It was a wonderful time of getting to know the Lord.  And then God blessed me with three wonderful blessings-I had children.

I tried to get up early but my children have radars that go off when I get up (no matter how early that is).  The earlier I got up, the earlier they got up.  So guess what.  I quit getting up early to try to read the Word.  It wasn’t happening anyway.  And at night I was too exhausted to read anything important.  So I would read when and if I got a chance.

Fast forward ten years and as I look back over those years I see so much failure.  I see long spans of time when my Bible was only touched on Sundays.  I see times when I did open my Bible only to nod off as I tried to read.  I see times with God being pushed aside for time on the internet, “me” time, or time to just wind down.  Somewhere along the way life happened-life without God as my guide and focus.

How easy the act of prayer is, but oh how hard the practice of prayer is! Click To Tweet

Yes, as Christians we should yearn to hear from God, yearn to read His Word-His love letter to us-, yearn to be in His presence and worship.  But how often we fail.  How often I fail!

Now I must say that my heart missed those times and I knew I needed those times.  But as a mom, everyone else tends to come before you.  So time passed and I made do.  Oh, I would still pray throughout the days and attend church, but I wasn’t feeding my soul.

Last summer, I finally decided I had to change.  Or maybe God got through this thick skull of mine.  Either way, I was determined to start my days off right-in Scripture.  I mean, my youngest was 6 and old enough to get up, get dressed and play quietly until I finished reading and praying.  So I really had no excuse anymore.

Well like any good venture we make for the Kingdom, I experienced resistance.  It was summer-no school, no early morning schedules; but my children (who have never been late sleepers) woke up earlier than normal.  I’m talking about 6:30 in the morning early!  Oh my! I know one day I’ll be glad they get up early (I think).

But I was determined, so I did two things that greatly helped my Bible reading and my mornings.  First, I bought Crystal Paine’s Make Over Your Mornings course.  I knew I needed a good kick in the pants to get up and some motivation to keep it going.  This was exactly what I needed. I’ve shared how it helped me stay focused and make the most of my mornings. Now I’m not saying my mornings are always productive and I never struggle.  Oh my these cold, dark winter mornings have really gotten to me.  But although I’ve slept later and not been as productive as I’ve wanted to, I now have a plan that reminds me of my focus.

The next thing I did was set up my Quiet Time Basket.  Having everything I need to read, pray and take notes all in one place has been such a huge help!  And seeing it is a daily reminder of what should be my first priority.  It reminds me of the quote

“We must exchange whispers with God before shouts with the world.” – Lysa TerKeurst

How true that is for the followers of Christ.  But how hard that often is for me.  It is this one simple act that is a daily reminder of my need of grace and forgiveness and a reminder of how gracious my Lord is in giving those to me.

As spring and Easter are around the corner, I’m reminded of new birth and forgiveness.  I’m reminded that God is so lavish in giving His grace and forgiveness to those who come and ask with repentant hearts.  Since spring is a time of beginning, I’m also encouraged to start afresh with my commitment to getting in the Word.  Although I’ve been doing better, there is always room for improvement.  And spring is the perfect time-as nature comes alive, let your soul come alive in God’s Word!

Are you like me and need to recommit and refocus on Christ?  Are you ready to come alive in God’s Word this spring?  Let me know how you keep faithful and focused-especially those times when life happens.

Keep Herbing and Studying It Up!

Brigett