The Davis Duo Dwelling

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

So how is your prayer life?  Do you…

• Pray once a day
• Pray once every morning before starting my day
• Pray once a day or so but sometimes forget
• Pray once a week
• Don’t really know

If you were able to answer yes to any of the choices above, then your prayer life is seriously lacking.  And, yes, that includes those of you who were able to answer yes to even the top two.  Don’t even think about patting yourself on the
back for a “job well done.”

Seriously, I hope you don’t think of prayer as a “job” at all but rather as an ongoing relationship with your greatest love.  Now that’s a good question-is God your greatest love?  If the answer is yes AND you answered yes to any of the
above then I ask you again-How is your love life, really?  Is God truly first in your life?

I’ve heard various reasons for people avoiding prayer, I’ve used them all myself.

• I don’t know what to say
• I’m afraid of messing up
• I just can’t seem to make time
• I feel too guilty

Do any of those sound familiar?  Then let’s get to the heart of matter…RELATIONSHIP.

Relationships don’t just run themselves.  They must be nurtured.  One of the most important elements in nurturing that relationship is the ability to converse openly, honestly and on a continuous basis.

Let’s first tackle the issue of being open and honest in any relationship. Whether it’s with a spouse, a child, friend or relative, honesty can be withheld and when it is, it is almost always destructive in some form either to the person you are dishonest to or most certainly to the self.  Never the less, complete truths do not have to be revealed.  But when it comes to being open and honest with God, there is nothing that can be hidden.  He already knows every thought and action in your life, so then the issue turns inward.  It becomes an inability to be honest with the self, which in turn inhibits growth and causes internal strife.  So what does this suggest?  Would it not be to one’s advantage to be able to confide in someone who already knows everything about you?

But let’s not allow self growth to be the only reason for prayer.  God is to be praised and He is certainly worthy of praise!  Prayer is also used to make requests of God.  I  find myself doing a lot of that!

What about continuous prayer?  One of the definitions for continuous is, ‘connected throughout.’  This is how I like to think of continuous prayer…not that we are to be in a “prayerful position” at all times, but rather that we are connected with God in some fashion throughout.  And what does ‘throughout’ mean?…continuously, from beginning to end.

I once read an excerpt from a book where the writer was sharing a part of his journal.  His “experiment”, as he called it, was to see if he could fashion his life in order that he could stay “connected throughout” with God.  With each entry, his
time with God, rather it be in prayer, or just thoughts of God,  would increase, as this was his goal.  He began to realize that in everything he did throughout his day, it was possible to keep ‘the things of God’ on his mind.  At the finish of the experiment, he knew that it was not by his own efforts that he had attained this, but it was through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit that had enabled him to ‘think God thoughts’ with every thought and action of his daily life.  He had been ‘connected throughout.’

Are you connected throughout with His Holy Spirit?

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.”

Matthew 22:37-38