Do you want to grow spiritually in the upcoming year? Are you willing to say, “I don’t want to just keep going through the motions, because I want to grow in my relationship with Christ”? Consider engaging your heart in devoted prayer time.
E.M. Bounds writes in The Essentials of Prayer, “The very essence of prayer is the spirit of devotion, and without devotion, prayer is an empty form - a vain round of words.” Prayer thrives in a meditative, serious, and thoughtful atmosphere of devotion.
We have to decide not to let the tribulations and hard things that come against us separate us from God. Our spiritual growth diminishes when we do not take the time to engage our hearts and minds in prayer. When we mix our pain, struggles, and disappointment with devoted prayer time, we become who God wants us to be, and it’s these times that draw us closer to God. Matching the intensity of our hardships with the intensity of our prayer time will allow God to mold, shape, and grow us into his image, useful vessels for his glory.
Scripture includes many examples of those who devoted themselves to prayer. In today’s passage, Cornelius' fervent prayers allowed him to hear from God, receiving revelation and guidance directly from the Lord. May we all aim to have devoted prayer lives that are not just monologues but also leave space for God to speak to us. Then he can purify us, so that we can grow in our relationship with Christ, and see his will done on earth. If we want to accomplish things of eternal value and grow victoriously in our spiritual walk, we must be people devoted to prayer.
Lord, thank you for the incredible gift of prayer. Through honest and constant prayer, let me grow in friendship and intimate relationship with you. I know you will hear my prayer because you always hear my Savior’s prayers. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Throughout this day: listen to Tauren Wells’s song “When We Pray.”
Photo Credit: Heiner