Children need one-on-one time with their parents. Whether it is snuggling on the couch, watching a movie, going to grab some ice cream, or something else, children grow best when they have personal, away from everyone else, time with their parents.
The same is true for God’s children. Our relationship will grow the most with our heavenly Father when we prioritize a daily, personal time with him. Jesus emphasized this practice in Matt 6:9-13 and modeled it throughout his life and ministry.
Thankfully, our heavenly Father is never too busy to meet with us. There will never be a time when God’s children don’t have their heavenly Father’s undivided, totally engaged, attention. We never have to say, “Dad, will you stop checking your phone.” We’ll never hear, “Maybe later, son.” Our heavenly Father is so amazing that all of him, not some of him, is always available to all of his children.
The question is, will we make time for him?
Many people, for whatever reason, have never prioritized a daily prayer time with God. Thankfully, anybody can do it, with God’s help. I’ve found that the following 4 steps help people follow Jesus’ teaching and example of making prayer a daily, meaningful reality in their life.
Identify your spot – Find a place where the chances of being uninterrupted are as high as they possibly can. Right now, I go to my study and my wife goes to the living room couch. Figure out a spot that works for you. Identify your spot and you increase the changes that you’ll pray every day.
Identify your time – Identify the right time for you. For some people, the morning is the best time, others the evening, still others sometime during the day. The key is to find a time that works for you. Not sure where to start? I encourage people to do what I do, and make time to start the day in prayer because I don’t want to start the day without God’s presence and promises in view.
Plan your time – A little planning will make a big impact. To plan your time just identify what part of the Bible you want to read and pray, grab something to write with and on, and anything else you might want to have during that time—coffee!!!
Prepare for resistance – The Enemy hates for God’s children to spend time with their heavenly Father. He hates for God to reward his children with his satisfying presence and specific answers to prayer. That’s why no matter when you choose all of these things, get ready for “random” interruptions. I call it the “resistance.” A kid will come in. Text messages will appear. Something good or bad will happen. It’s always something. Prepare for resistance. Did you hope to have 45 minutes, but now you only have 5 minutes? That’s okay! 5 minutes is better than 0 minutes! Did you miss a morning? That’s okay! Find time during the day to encounter God personally. Did you miss a day or a week? Don’t let the enemy discourage you enough to make you quit. Your heavenly Father has enough blood-bought grace to get you started fresh today.
The Bible is filled with examples of people who prioritized private time with their heavenly Father before they were used powerfully publicly. What might God want to do in your life and ministry if you focused more on being with him in private prayer than working for him in public life and ministry?
This post includes content from my book, 21 Days to Childlike Prayer: Changing Your World One Specific Prayer at a Time.
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