One sure fire way to become and stay bored in your times of prayer is to only pray about yourself. Although we are certainly called to pray for our needs and we should not be shy in doing so, a purely self-centered prayer life is ultimately a dry, dead and boring one. Scripture directs us to pray for one another, our pastors, other church leaders, and those in authority in government. We are commanded to pray for these things not because it’s nice or the right thing to do. I’m convinced we are told to do this because it is one of the great keys to having a dynamic, thriving prayer life.
The challenge is to not attempt to pray for others as if we were just reading some todo list. Instead, we must pray for others as if we were praying for ourselves. We must pray as passionately about our neighbor’s cancer as we would if we had received the dianosis. We must pray deeply and sincerely for the needs of others.
My experience has been that as I do that, as I commit the time, energy and focus necessary, something marvelous happens. Why? Well, I think that we are never more like Christ than we are serving others and this is sharing in His divine service of interceding for others. (Romans 8:34) It honors God. It grows us up. It’s just Godly and God responds to it in special ways.
The bottom line is that, as interesting as you are, you’re going to eventually get bored just praying about your own stuff. Add sincerely praying for others to the mix and see what happens. Try it. You’ll like it.
It is true that I do not pray enough, and especially not enough for other people. At the very least, when I do pray for someone it gets my mind off of me and my little problems, and helps me think that I am possibly taking action to help that person in some small way. Not that God needs any help – He is God and I am just me, but the fact that I am acknowledging that He is our Helper and does care for us makes me more aware of His presence. We (I) are like teenagers who have no use for parents until they’re in some kind of trouble.
I used to think that when loved ones passed on, especially after a long fight with sickness, that God did not answer prayers or in a way that He must not care enough. But I am beginning to understand that He cares so much sometimes He does not want to see us suffer, and calls us Home. He allowed his own Son’s suffering to end, and they both knew that it would be a great suffering and yet Jesus willingly let it happen, all because of his undying love for us.
Two verses come to mind: I cannot tell you what chapters they are in but you probably know.
1) Better is the ending of a thing than the beginning.
2) Now we see in part, though as looking through a veil, but then we shall see more clearly (paraphrased).
Sometimes I feel like I deserve to know why – I demand answers to questions I don’t understand – and would probably not even understand the answers. Who am I to ask “Why”. When something good or bad happens, it would make more sense to ask “Why not?” Life happens to everyone, some live longer than others, but it is appointed for us to die once (thank God). This world is not my true home. As beautiful as life’s creatures and creations are, it is all temporary for each generation.
Sometimes I long to wake up in another world, one free from the gravity of life’s problems and struggles. Contentment comes less when your pain becomes gradually more and more constant.
Death – where is thy sting?
Sometimes I feel like it would be more of a relief or comfort to no longer be in pain.
This is not a death wish… just hopefully, patiently, joyfully waiting for the day when I’ll be set free.
But until then, every day I wake up, I’m still on top of the world.
Get it – gravity!
Too bad I’m not as smart as I want to think.
Wise people listen to others – I am just now learning that in my 47th year. I was always ready to discount what anyone said, saying they didn’t really understand my situation, or totally rebel against authority – because they REALLY didn’t understand, nor did they have time to try. But now I see I was like Marlon Brando? in that movie, was it Easyriders? They asked him what he was rebelling against, and he replied, “Whatta ya got?”
He was ready to rebel against anything and everything.
Sorry to run on an on… it’s been a long night. 3rd shift is a little harder to adjust to than it used to be – guess I was younger and healthier… who knows.
The world is a scary place. It’s dirty and full of transgressions, but it’s the dirt that sustains our very life. From dust we came and to dust we will return. Our bodies, that is.
But I DID enjoy the message last Sunday. Hope to make it there more often if I can stay up after working Saturday nights.
Thanks.