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.<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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).<\/p>\n
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<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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) —\u00a0He 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).<\/p>\n 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).<\/p>\n 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<\/a><\/p>\n For More on These Topics:<\/p>\n We\u2019re exhorted, \u201cDevote yourself to prayer\u201d (Col. 4:2) and \u201cPray continually\u201d (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\u2019ve done little praying. Other leaders may rationalize that they\u2019re too busy to pray. Yet, the more distractions we have and the busier we get, the more we need to pray. . . . Continue reading Too Busy to Pray?<\/span>If You Feel You’re Too Busy to Pray, Remember Jesus<\/h2>\n
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All Posts about Time Management:<\/h3>