We’re exhorted, “Devote yourself to prayer” (Col. 4:2) and “Pray continually” (1 Thess. 5:17). Some leaders may find these verses rather convicting because they get distracted with all they have to do. The day goes by and they’ve done little praying. Other leaders may rationalize that they’re too busy to pray. Yet, the more distractions we have and the busier we get, the more we need to pray.
Praying Church Leaders are Watchful
We mustn’t end the quote of Colossians 4:2 with “Devote yourself to prayer” but rather continue with the qualifying phrase that follows — “being watchful”. If we’re going to devote ourselves to prayer amidst all the distractions and busyness, we must keep alert.
- We must stay aware of the lure and lies of the enemy who seeks to tie our self-worth and importance to what we do rather than who we are in Christ. See 2 Corinthians 11:3.
- We need to focus on what’s most important which will ultimately result in the best use of our time. Read the account of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42.
- We must guard against getting pulled in so many directions that our minds lose sight of the One who enables us to go on. See Isaiah 26:3.
- We need to keep reminders ever before us that God is the One who enables us to deal with the stress and anxiety in healthy and beneficial ways. Read Philippians 4:.6-7.
When we take great care to stay vigilant so we pray, we find ourselves experiencing the rest of Colossians 4:2 — we’re “thankful”. Rather than grumbling and complaining about all we have to do, we have an attitude of gratitude. Because we’re turning to the One who gives us strength (Phil. 4:13) and wisdom (James 1:5), we approach our days with joy, peace, confidence, and contentment.
Not Letting Busyness Rob Us of a Consistent Prayer Life
When we’re devoted to prayer, we “pray continually” (1 Thess. 5:17). We’re not talking about tacking one more thing on to our busy schedules. Rather, we’re approaching “God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb. 4:16). Going to the Source of the grace, wisdom, and strength we need becomes a lifestyle so we can do what we need to do and do it all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).
We will be more likely to consistently turn to Him, if we apply the prior verse — “rejoice always” (1 Thess. 5:16). That can only happen when our joy comes from the right source. — “Rejoice in the Lord always.” (Phil. 4:4) — With the Lord as our all in all, we’ll see no other recourse but to constantly turn to Him in prayer. We’ll get to where we not only sense a need to pray, but want to make Him a part of all we do.
Just as we saw in Colossians 4:2, such a lifestyle of prayer results in an attitude of gratitude. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 follows the exhortation to pray continually with the command to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess. 5:18). Under the guidance of our all-knowing and all-wise God, we will make the most of every opportunity. With the enablement of an all-powerful God, we will faithfully accomplish what He wants us to do. How can praying continually not result in giving thanks in everything, no matter what? When we do God’s will for us in Christ Jesus, we can trust that what we get done is what He will use in meaningful and purposeful ways.
If You Feel You’re Too Busy to Pray, Remember Jesus
Jesus acknowledged that the need is great and there’s a lot to do. He told His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few” (Matt. 9:37). His solution? Prayer. — “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matt. 9:38) — He didn’t just tell His disciples to pray; He prayed. In the midst of all the people demands for Jesus’ healing touch and miraculous acts, He took time to get away to pray (Mk. 6:45-46).
If God Incarnate took the time to pray, certainly we too should “be devoted to prayer” and “pray continually”. If we want to make an eternal difference, we can’t do it apart from Him (Jn. 15:5).
The next post will provide some prayers in the Bible to help guide us in how to pray about the use of our time. Go to: Biblical Prayers about Time Usage
For More on These Topics:
All Posts about Time Management:
- Disciple-Making Schedules
- Sustainable Schedules
- Prioritized Schedules: The Number One Priority
- Prioritized Schedules: The Second Priority
- Accountable Schedules
- Spiritually Blessed Schedules
- Spiritually Productive Schedules
- Hindrances to Spiritual Productivity
- Time for One Another
- Christ-like Schedules are Purposeful
- Time Managed by the Gospel
- Tips for Gospel-oriented Time Management
- Grace for These Times and How You Manage Your Schedule
- The Difference Grace Makes in How We Manage Time
- The Spirit Helps Us Manage Time
- How Spiritual Gifts Help with Time Management
- Busyness Affects Ministry
- Combatting the Lies about Busyness
- Too Busy to Pray?
- Biblical Prayers about Time Usage
- Good Stewards of Our Time
- Managing Time in the Name of the Lord
- Let God’s Word Guide the Use of Your Time
Reminds me of Bill Hybel book Too Busy Not to Pray.
Yes, Charles. The point of that book is indeed the perspective we need. For anyone interested in more about the book, click here to go to one of our affiliate stores: Too Busy Not to Pray
but work still needs doing – how work get done
That’s true, Bentley. Sometimes we might need to delegate what we can to others so we can devote ourselves to prayer. See the example of the Apostles in Acts 6:1-7 of … They said, “We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” Also keep in mind that praying continually doesn’t mean we always go off somewhere to pray for lengths of time. We can offer short prayers of praise and petition throughout our day. The key is that we make God a integral part of what we do and decisions we make throughout the day.