Each Saturday in our current series, Seeking Him<\/b><\/i>, we have spent time looking at various aspects of having a dedicated, purposeful, intentional, devoted quiet time. This week we continue to appreciate the joy and privilege of being with our heavenly Father\u2014our quiet time alone with Him.<\/p>\n
The aspect that we are talking about is prayers and petitions. (For those of you who have been following along with us each week and perhaps asking yourself, “WHEN is she going to talk about praying?\u00a0 Isn\u2019t it foundational?” …this is it! <3)<\/p>\n
David wrote about his \u2018quiet time\u2019 in the following verse.\u00a0 Does your Lord hear you expressing your heart to Him in the same way?\u00a0 I believe that as we are intentional and seek Him that, yes, this is how God sees us.<\/p>\n
In the morning You hear my voice, O Lord;
\nIn the morning I prepare [a prayer, a sacrifice] for You
\nAnd watch and<\/i> wait [for You to speak to my heart].
\nPsalms 5:3<\/p>\n
Here\u00a0 is a great example of God\u2019s design for our prayer life:<\/p>\n
Be earnest and<\/i> unwearied and<\/i> steadfast in your prayer [life],
\nBeing [both] alert and<\/i> intent in [your praying] with thanksgiving.
\nColossians 4:2<\/p>\n
Those are some very intentional words used at the beginning of that verse, yes?\u00a0 Other versions use similar words: devote, persevere, continue….<\/p>\n
Do not fret or<\/i> have any anxiety about anything,
\nbut in every circumstance and<\/i> in everything,
\nby prayer and petition (definite requests),
\nwith thanksgiving,
\ncontinue to make your wants known to God.
\nAnd God\u2019s peace [shall be yours, that peace]
\nwhich transcends all understanding
\nshall garrison and<\/i> mount guard
\nover your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
\nPhilippians 4:6 and 7<\/p>\n
Now, of course, that time you spend alone with Your Lord\u2014your quiet, devotional time\u2014is certainly not the only time to pray!\u00a0 Actually, I think, being intentional…seeking Him<\/strong><\/em> first and foremost…prepares our hearts for the rest of our day to be filled with continual little prayers and petitions directed to our God.<\/p>\n How often do we go along through our day accomplishing the normal even mundane tasks talking with our Father?\u00a0 Or driving (yet again) to school to pickup your children; isn’t that a great time to pray?\u00a0 Or waiting for them at dance\/soccer\/baseball practice or music lessons\/cub scout meeting\/awana time\/_______ (you fill in the blank); yet another small amount of time that can be eked out of our day to pray and seek Him<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Paul wrote a number of times in his letters to the Christian believers\u00a0about the importance of praying.\u00a0 He used terms such as, “pray at all times,” “keep alert and watch,” “pray with ceasing.”<\/p>\n Listen to this encouragement:<\/p>\n Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, Pray without ceasing;\u00a0 in everything give thanks; for this is God\u2019s will for you in Christ Jesus. So I think that we see by seeking God first and foremost, by being intentional in our quiet time in our\u00a0 prayers and petitions, we will be better prepared to “pray at all times, and, keep alert and watch, and, pray without ceasing.”\u00a0 We will be continually seeking Him throughout each day thus carrying out His will (1 Thessalonians 5:18)!<\/p>\n
\nwith all [manner of] prayer and entreaty.
\nTo that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and<\/i> perseverance,
\ninterceding in behalf of all the saints (God\u2019s consecrated people).
\nEphesians 6:18<\/p>\n
\n1 Thessalonians 5:17 and 18<\/p>\n