Devote yourselves to prayer …
Summary: When Paul tells us to do something, it always helps to understand the words he uses. “Prayer” is a common word, but its definition is not so common.
In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul writes, “For we do not know what to pray for as we ought…” (Romans 8:26, KJV)
Think about that for a moment. Is he right? Do we know how to pray or not? Let’s look at what the Bible teaches about prayer.
In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul gives us our first clue. He writes, “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, KJV)
Whatever prayer is, we know that it is something we can do “without ceasing.”
That is an interesting clue! How many things do we do non-stop?
We breathe non-stop. Our heart beats without ceasing. And some of us talk non-stop. (Okay … I might be guilty of that one!) What else do we do?
Well … we think non-stop. At least, most of us do.
That leads us to the next question: What do we think about all day?
If you are like me, most of my day is spent thinking about myself. Now — let me qualify that statement! I don’t mean I sit around admiring myself. Instead, I wake up in the morning thinking about my personal needs. What am I going to have for breakfast? What am I going to do? Do I have any chores to do? Do I have any appointments scheduled? What am I going to wear?
Those kinds of things.
We have a choice about what we think about. As it turns out, thinking about ourselves is not the best choice.
Remember how Jesus summarized all the “law and the prophets?” He said God wants us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” and our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40).
Isn’t it interesting that he mentions our minds? Are you seeing the same connection I am?
Is thinking about God a kind of prayer?
Should I be wondering what God wants instead of what I want? Should I spend my day thinking about God’s amazing love? What would it be like if, instead of thinking about my stomach, I thought about Jesus going without food for forty days because of his love for the Father?
Let’s go back to Paul’s statement about prayer. What does it mean to pray “as we ought?” What if we spent our days thinking about God’s love for all people and his forgiveness? What if we stopped for a moment and said, “Thank you, Father.” Does that qualify as prayer?
Application: Spend your days with Jesus!
Food for Thought: How do you define “prayer?”
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Continue reading “Colossians 4:2a – Thinking About God”
