One of the main reasons we don’t live more confident, victorious lives in Christ is that we are seldom confident that we are clean. We get busy and neglect to confess our sins - or perhaps we just utter a quick "Oops! Sorry Lord!" and quickly move on, intending to truly confess when we have more time. Then the incident is forgotten and the only thing that remains is the gnawing guilt that sinks down deep within us where it takes the edge off our confidence. We are no longer assured that we are right with God. Then the vicious cycle begins. We feel guilty, so we don't pray. Our prayerlessness brings more guilt and our guilt brings more prayerlessness.

I want to speak to you this morning about prayer. There are many calls right now to "Pray for America" and "Pray for Our Leaders," so I don't think such a message as this could be more timely. We do need to pray for our nation and our way of life. Please join my in your Bible at Mark 1:35.

"And in the early morning, while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there."

Certainly Jesus, the Model for our behavior, was dedicated to prayer, as we should be also. Yet I find (as perhaps you do, too) that I frequently need to tune up my prayer life. It tends to disintegrate with time, receding into a hurried exercise done mostly out of duty with not as much heart as the Lord deserves from me.

There are few, if any shortcuts to spirituality. Growing as a Christian takes time and effort. Perspective comes hard and develops slowly.

As a new Christian, many years ago, I was a tape, book, and seminar junkie. Each new session or tape or book that came out claiming to possess some special answer, some secret principle of spiritual growth, I bought with great eagerness. Sometimes it helped. The tapes I listened to and the books I read that were based on sound Biblical truth were worth every penny and every hour spent.

Yet now, with the perspective of 28 years as a Christian, though I possess shelves and shelves of literature, only a relative few of these items have proven to have lasting benefit. Perhaps that's because I'm dense (a distinct possibility). Then again, maybe it has more to do with what Jesus told Martha in Luke 10:41-42, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only a few things are necessary…"

Prayer is certainly to be found among those "few things" that are necessary.

So how can you tune up your prayer life? I have found that a good method is to occasionally dedicate a whole day to spend alone with the Lord in prayer. I claim no originality in the things I will say in this message. Many years ago I read a little pamphlet dedicated to this subject and it helped me greatly. I wrote some notes from it in a notebook, then misplaced the pamphlet. I've not seen the pamplet for a number of years, but I didn't lose the practice.

The Bible gives us three time-guides for personal prayer. There is first the command to "prayer without ceasing."(1) It means to stay in such tune with God that we can lift our hearts in request or praise to Him at any time throughout the day or night.

Then there is the practice of a daily prayer. This isn't commanded but certainly seems to have been practiced in some form or other in the lives of such Bible people as Moses, David, Daniel, and even Jesus. Jesus didn't say, "If you go into your inner room to pray." He said, "When you go into your inner room to pray." (2) There is an assumption there. Jesus told us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." We must pray daily to fulfill that admonition.

But there is a third time-guide for our prayer that is different than both of these. It is when we spend extended periods of time alone with God in prayer. Jesus spent whole nights praying. Nehemiah spent several days in prayer before he decided to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. Three times Moses spent 40 days and nights alone with God.

Perhaps you are thinking, "Great! I don't even have a ten-minute daily prayer time and you want me to pray for a whole day?" If that is the case, please hear me before you tune me out. It may be that what I will say will finally help you master what you have failed to accomplish in the past. What I'm going to suggest has been, for me at least, a great help with prayer in each of those time-guide categories I mentioned. Perhaps it will prove useful to you.

When you think of spending a day in prayer, don't think necessarily of multiple hours on your knees with hands folded and eyes closed in some popular prayer posture. That's fine if you feel compelled to do so, but it's not what I have in mind. What I am talking about is taking a day away from the hustle and bustle of our busy lives to devote completely to our relationship to the Heavenly Father. It can include such things as meditation, singing, Bible reading, planning, and recording insights, as well as prayer. Always though, the aim is toward seeking God, toward assurance of His presence, toward confidence that we are right with Him. It can be a time where we determine a major direction change or just a time to review our lives, reflect on our progress, and get things back in tune. I think all of us will admit as we think about it that there aren't very many moments in our life that aren't already crammed full of activity. The few spaces that remain are usually stuffed with sessions of TV, radio, newspapers, and other short-term pursuits.

Maybe you've never taken that much time to be with God. Perhaps it has never even occurred to you. Whatever the case, please hear me out. I think it will be worth your time. You may even find yourself saying, upon reflecting back on such a day, "I never thought a day could make such a difference."

1. Why Spend a Day in Prayer?

2. How Can We Spend a Day in Prayer?

We begin we must set a day and time.

So many things go by us where we say, "That would be a good idea. I ought to try it someday." But of course, someday never comes. Yet we do manage to get in the things we want to do. We eat our meals. We recreate. We make it to work on time. In short, we do what is important to us. Everything else gets neglected. Perhaps, therefore, the question that must be asked and answered even before we put something on the calendar is a more basic, "What is important to me?" I can't answer that for you and you can't answer it for me. I can only say that if it is important, we'll find the time.

Next, we must choose a place.

If we are going to spend time with God, it needs to happen in a place where we will not be disturbed. We will need to get away from the phone and the email and the pager. Television, radio, and the newspaper will also need to be set aside temporarily.

I have found it helpful to have a destination - a place to go to meet with God. It works well for me to have a place to which I must drive, I suppose because it physically removes me from the distractions that are usually around home and office. Also, the act of preparing to go helps me set my mind to what I want to do. I prefer a quiet, secluded outdoor location whenever possible. Our Western Oregon region has plenty of spots to go to find solitude. (I suppose that if I lived in New York City I would have to be more creative in choosing a place!) I might add that if an outdoor spot is your choice, don't get sidetracked watching the squirrels or birds and thus fritter away your time. For me, the fishing tackle and binoculars must be left at home.

Thirdly, take some helpful items.

Pack a lunch so you can stay with it. Take along your Bible. You might even mark a few passages ahead of time as you plan for this day. These can be used for meditation or praise and prayer. Bring a pencil and notebook - especially a notebook. In order to discipline your mind and keep it from wandering aimlessly, it can be helpful to think with pencil in hand. You will want to write out the items you confess to God to be sure that you get them all out. Take along a songbook so you can sing to the Lord. If you don't like to sing, just recite the words. There are some great devotional thoughts in our songbooks. (By the way, if you "borrow" one of the songbooks from the church building here as some have done, be sure to bring it back before Sunday.) A lawn chair might be helpful along with a hard surface to write on.

Fourthly, structure your time.

While I'm not aware of a particular Biblical formula for this, I still like to use the familiar ACTS acronym: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. These words provide a handy track to run on.

Adoration is praise. Pick a passage ahead of time that you will read to God. A couple of good examples are Psalm 103 and Psalm 111. As you read the Psalm aloud to God (this is why you need seclusion) change the pronouns (where appropriate) to reflect a personal application. Instead of reading "I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart," say, "I give thanks to you with all my heart." As you read through the passage, think about what is said, rephrase it, and say it to God. The songbook can be used this way, too.

When God has been properly praised (don't skimp on this part!) begin with your confession. This is where I take out the pencil and notebook and write down anything and everything I'm aware of that could possibly cause a rift in my relationship with God. Write it down - all of it. Then call it what it is - sin. Don't hedge. Don't euphemize. When you run out of things to write, turn to Psalm 139:23 and pray that verse to God. It says, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

In this we are asking God to sweep out all of the corners, dust all the shelves, and sweep out from under the bed, so to speak. I like to think of it this way: Everything wrong in my life is in effect, piled right in the middle of the room for disposal. Anything that is not right gets put on the list. (Can you see why a quick "Now I lay me down to sleep" prayer or a ten-minute quiet time doesn't always give enough time?)

Now, take the list and go down it again, confessing each item to God for what it is - sin. Tell Him of your intentions to do better (You do desire to do better, right?) When you're finished with the list, bury it, burn it, or throw it into the river wrapped around a big rock. (Be creative here, but don't litter. You would want someone to find the list would you?)

At this point, if you have truly confessed all that is in your heart that isn't right, you're clean before God! (3)You're as pure as the day you were born! What an exhilarating thought! A very important aspect of victorious Christian living is having the confidence to know you are right with God. No, I'm not being presumptuous here. God has gracefully given us the high privilege of forgiveness of sin based on confession. Use it! Let it benefit you! Let it change your life!

Now it's time for thanksgiving. Why now? Because now you have realize how much you have to thank God for. You've just received more grace than you deserve. Thank Him! You have time to do it adequately because you've made the time. Sometimes I like to get up and walk at this point because it helps me clear my mind. Take a break if you like. This can be hard work!

Finally, begin your supplication. Ask God to supply the needs you can see in the lives of others first, then in your own. You have plenty of time to do it, so really dig in and lay out those things you usually don't think of. Go over the needs of your earthly family, then you church family, then your neighbors far and near. Pray for your country. Get the names of your representatives and pray for each of them by name. Pray that our enemies will see the light of the gospel.

At this point my structure sometimes gets set aside as I continue my day in prayer. I may spend some time laying out plans and strategy for what I'm going to do when I get back home. You won't find a more effective seedbed for effective planning than right after a season of fellowship with God. Now is the time to submit your plans to Him. Proverbs 16:3 says, "Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established."

So what happens if you run out of things to do before the day is up? Go home if you like. The object isn't the logging of hours. The objective is to make sure things are done right. Perhaps a special deed of gratitude would be appropriate before you pack it in. Go visit a shut-in. Take some groceries by the home of a needy family. Go by the church building and leave an anonymous offering in the offering box. In the Old Testament there was what was called a "thank offering."(4) It was something done out of sheer gratitude. It's amazing how much you will find you want to do for God when you realize that you are really clean and you're not running away from Him anymore, having just sought Him with all your heart. You'll also find that when you arrive back home, some of the problems that seemed so overwhelming to you may just have shrunken back to their proper size.

Conclusion

Life doesn't get any busier than it did for Jesus when He walked this earth. Yet often, in the very midst of his heavy schedule of ministry, He would depart and go to a lonely place to pray. Mark 1:35 again: "And in the early morning, while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there."

Has your life with God turned dry and brittle? Is your relationship with Him distant? Do you wonder if you are really saved? Do you lack confidence in your spiritual birthright? All of this can change if you set aside a day to seek God in prayer and worship. Why not put it on your calendar to do very soon?

Footnotes: (Use your "back" button to return to your place)

1. 1 Thessalonians 5:17
2. Matthew 6:6
3. 1 John 1:9
4. Jeremiah 33:11

Dave Redick is Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon and Editor of The Preacher's Study. He may be reached at pstudysupport@comcast.net.

Copyright © 1996-2008 by The Preacher's Study. Permission is granted to subscribers to use this document in total or in sermon preparation in the context of the local congregation only. Publishing it in a book, on the Internet, or anyplace beyond the local congregation is prohibited.

All Scripture quotations and references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise stated.

[Archive]    [Home]   [Comments]   [Search]

since 10/29/01