Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
Jesus instructed us to pray relentlessly. One of the main distractions to effective prayer is disbelief. We pray for healing, but prepare for funeral. Praying without confidence that God hears us and will answer us, disengages us. When we pray, we don’t race millions of miles into the third heaven to meet with Jesus. The Lord is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you (2 Chronicles 15:2b). The chasm between heaven and earth is far too wide. When we try to reach Him, our hearts will fail but when we address God as our “Father/Daddy”, He comes down from heaven and establishes His throne in our hearts. This is why in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, “Let your kingdom come down to earth”. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). Effective prayer establishes the kingdom of God on earth.
On busy days, our prayer schedule is normally shortened. If we wake up late, half an hour prayer shrinks to 5 minutes and a chapter diminishes to the verse of the day! Martin Luther, the 16th century reformist and theologian spent more hours in prayer if his day was packed with a busy schedule. “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”― Martin Luther. It is impossible to be holistically successful without dedicated hour(s) of prayer. Martin Luther went on to say, “To be a Christian without prayer is more possible to be alive without breathing”. However, how do we overcome doubt, disbelief and distractions in prayer?
Three secrets to effective prayer:
- Exaltation: Start your prayer with praise. Praise activates the ‘striatum’, (one of the reward areas in the brain). Researchers have confirmed that the concentration span increases and performance gets better when the brain is activated with appreciation, gratitude and praise. Psalm 22:3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. No one can say that they have nothing to praise God for. Start your day praising God for the gift of life. Praise as soon as you arise.
- Enthusiasm: Prayer is not a tick in the box. David said, I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning (Psalm 130:6). We will engage in prayer only if we are excited and enthusiastic about it. Don’t make your prayer formal and talk to God in Shakespearian language. Formal elaborate prayer will completely disengage us. Be excited about your meeting with the Lord. Have a casual conversation and curb your enthusiasm. Engage with enthusiasm.
- Expectation: Go with an expectation to have a dialogue and not a monologue. Expect to hear from God. Ask your questions and wait for Him to speak to you in your heart. It is God’s will to speak to all of us, not just to the prophets, priests and patriarchs. Expectations bring engagement.
The sweet hour of prayer must be filled with excitement, exaltation and expectations.
Luke 18:7 Will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night?
Prayer: Dear Jesus, teach me to be engaged, excited and enthused about my hour of prayer. Amen.
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