Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma.
In recent conversations, I've found some people have diffiiculty speaking with confidence about the worth of prayer.
To pray is serious business. Prayer is conversation with God. To say "I believe in God" and not to pray is, I believe, a denial of God. It is to live as if God does not exist.
Jesus gave us two modes of prayer. After an exhausing day he found a place to give himself to communion with God. We might call this a "prayer of withdrawal." (Mark 1:35). It is good to set aside a time to withdraw from the activity of daily life and spend "quiet time" in prayer and meditation.
The second mode of prayer is to practice being in the presence of God while involved in the varying circumstances of life. This type of prayer is like shooting out a dart whenever one sees a need. This is a brief prayer, a sentence, a few words. (Luke 23:34)
Discipleship calls for both unhurried quiet time in prayer and meditation, and short prayers, most often offered in silence, in particular circumstances that prompt it.
Christ has given us patterns for prayer. Not to pray is a serious condition for all who say that God does exist.
With blessings, and an assurance that I pray for all of you who read these MONDAY MORNING messages.
Richard
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