Dear Praying People,
Your praying times should be what you do, as usual.
This morning I received two e-mails from friends who have been desperately praying for answers from God. Today, they received those answers, and were blown away by this. One person wrote, “Why do I not expect this to happen?” Now, for the moment at least, they are motivated to pray more.
In a few minutes I will walk to the back of our property, by the river, where there is an old table, and my praying chair. I’ll bring my journal, Bible, and a cup of coffee. I will meet with my God and pray. I will pray for others. I will listen to God speak to me. And it shall be good.
At this point in my life, I rarely leave these praying times without feeling encouraged and strengthened. I pray. A lot. I do this because “Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him.” (Luke 22:29) What Jesus did there was: 1) instruct his disciples to watch and pray. 2) pray, himself.
“As usual,” Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, and prayed. “As was his habit.” Praying was Jesus’s customary way of doing life. Praying was a way of life for Jesus. If Jesus habitually did this, who am I, one of his followers, not to?
I heard of a sign, supposedly on the Alaskan Highway, where the road turned from pavement to dirt. It read: “Choose your rut carefully. You’ll be in it for the next hundred miles.” Choose a praying life. Over time, it will become your habit, something you engage in, as usual.
Love,
PJ
COUNSEL
Identify one day, during the week, to pray for an hour.
Identify a place of least distraction, where you will do this.
Do it weekly.
From my book 31 Letters to the Church on Praying.
