Prioritizing God—Two2Grow, Sunday, August 23
Prioritizing God—Two2Grow, Sunday, August 23
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6 NIV
I found prayer hard for many reasons. One of my biggest hindrances was that I found prayer dull and slow. I liked to be on the move and have stuff happening. When I tried to pray, I felt drowsy and got ants in my pants, so to speak. I was glad that other people prayed so that I didn’t have to!
But then I came to realize from today’s text that there is a great reward in prayer—and I like rewards. So even if prayer can feel like a waste of time, our prayers are recorded in heaven, and God will reward us for them.
I also saw that Jesus expects his followers to talk to God—and I want to be his follower. Notice in today’s verse that Jesus said “when” you pray, not “if” you pray. And then he gives a clear instruction: seek out a space that gives you privacy and helps you to focus.
I have found that in today’s world, where we have technology everywhere, we have to be more intentional about creating quiet time with the Lord.
Often, the best time to seek the Lord is early in the morning or late at night (depending on your personality and sleep routine), when the world around us is moving more slowly and there are fewer distractions. We also need to put our technology aside—a smartphone or smartwatch can easily take our focus away.
If you haven’t developed the habit of daily prayer, don’t feel guilty about it. Just start.
You don’t have to begin with a long prayer time. Starting with just five minutes is totally fine. Once you start, you will see God moving on your behalf in ways you could never imagine, and that will make you never want to stop praying.
Father, I want to seek Your face. Help me to press deeper into You through prayer. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Pastor Mikael Stenhammar, PhD
I found prayer hard for many reasons. One of my biggest hindrances was that I found prayer dull and slow. I liked to be on the move and have stuff happening. When I tried to pray, I felt drowsy and got ants in my pants, so to speak. I was glad that other people prayed so that I didn’t have to!
But then I came to realize from today’s text that there is a great reward in prayer—and I like rewards. So even if prayer can feel like a waste of time, our prayers are recorded in heaven, and God will reward us for them.
I also saw that Jesus expects his followers to talk to God—and I want to be his follower. Notice in today’s verse that Jesus said “when” you pray, not “if” you pray. And then he gives a clear instruction: seek out a space that gives you privacy and helps you to focus.
I have found that in today’s world, where we have technology everywhere, we have to be more intentional about creating quiet time with the Lord.
Often, the best time to seek the Lord is early in the morning or late at night (depending on your personality and sleep routine), when the world around us is moving more slowly and there are fewer distractions. We also need to put our technology aside—a smartphone or smartwatch can easily take our focus away.
If you haven’t developed the habit of daily prayer, don’t feel guilty about it. Just start.
You don’t have to begin with a long prayer time. Starting with just five minutes is totally fine. Once you start, you will see God moving on your behalf in ways you could never imagine, and that will make you never want to stop praying.
Father, I want to seek Your face. Help me to press deeper into You through prayer. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Pastor Mikael Stenhammar, PhD