Taking prayer seriously

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.  Colossians 4:2
 
I wonder how many times the New Testament tells us to pray? I've never counted them, but I'm sure there's plenty.

I find that encouraging, because it suggests that prayer isn't always easy. After all, you don't have to be told to do something which comes naturally to you, do you? You don't need someone to issue an order “eat that bar of chocolate”, or “don’t forget your favourite television programme”, or “enjoy your break from work”.

No: orders are given to remind us of things which are important but which we would naturally tend to skip. Hard things, things that are not immediately appealing. Remember when you were a child? "Don't forget to brush your teeth..!" "It's time you tidied your bedroom!" "Get on with your homework now!"

Well, here is Paul writing to the Christians of Colosse. And he tells them "Devote yourselves to prayer". All right, perhaps it isn’t strictly an order, but it’s certainly a strong pastoral suggestion: "devote" is a no-nonsense word.

It means really taking prayer seriously, not just dabbling in it. It means giving prayer that "quality time" we hear so much about these days, that concentration and perseverance that require effort. It means not praying just when you happen to feel like it, or when you can't think of anything else to do, or when a particular need or problem arises. Paul is saying that prayer is something we need to roll up our sleeves for, so to speak.

Of course, prayer should be as natural to us as breathing. But, let's be honest, that often isn't the case. Why is this? I can think of various reasons.

First, this world in which we live provides us with all sorts of other ways of spending our time, many of which seem much more enjoyable: “distractions”, we usually call them (though they may be perfectly good in themselves).

Second, we all know that prayer is often not answered immediately, so there's a temptation to listen to the devil’s voice, "This is a waste of time. Why bother?"

Third, not all of us are good with words, so we struggle to express our thoughts to God - perhaps forgetting that as far as he is concerned cries, sighs and even groans are just as good as polished speech.

Fourth, we tend to let God drift out of our lives, perhaps even sliding into sin, so talking to him somehow feels unreal.

If those are some of the reasons we tend to slip in prayer, what things can we can do to help us pray more effectively? Let me rattle some off.

1. Don't waffle! Be silent before you start and think for a moment what you want to say to God. Then say it, in crisp, concise terms. God isn’t interested in lots of words.

2. Leave it with God. Once you have prayed, don't take your need away with you. Say to yourself "Right! I've left that matter with God, so I won't let it keep running around in my mind." Get on with life.

3. Don't be afraid to use written prayers if you find them helpful. Prayer doesn't always have to be off the cuff - didn't Jesus himself give us a pattern prayer? There are some excellent books of prayers you can use to strengthen your prayer life. Why not have a browse in one or two and buy one that suits you?

4. Explore the pleasure and encouragement (and I really mean those two words!) of praying with other people. If you are married to a Christian, make sure to pray together. And get into a prayer group or house-group where you can share and pray together. Prayer can be particularly hard if you only ever do it on your own.

5. Every time you start to pray, remind yourself of the need for faith. Never pray just as a matter of form - such prayers are empty and pointless. And even if you feel your faith is weak - well, what was that that Jesus said about faith as tiny as a grain of mustard-seed?

6. Experiment with different types of prayer - sometimes part of a fixed discipline, sometimes spontaneous; sometimes short and business-like, other times more leisurely and conversational; sometimes perhaps simply enjoying silence in God's presence.

Above all, always pray from the heart and not just from the mouth, and keep in mind that God is your loving heavenly Father. He loves to hear you pray: yes, really! And he promises that he will answer, though not necessarily according to our time-scale.

Prayer is all about relationship - your relationship with God. Yes, it can sometimes seem like hard work. But how else are we going to build that relationship? And remember, it doesn't take all that much for a duty to become a joy...

Lord Jesus, your first disciples asked you, "Teach us to pray". Please teach me too. Amen!