On Prayer
So this morning, I was sitting at my desk in my office at FedEx, and looked up when a package handler walked into the main area, and went into one of the service manager’s offices and closed the door. The lights were still off, and the service manager had not yet arrived for work. This struck me as odd, so I inquired with the service manager after he arrived a few minutes later why this dude was hanging out in his office.
He was praying.
I learned that he is a Muslim, and had arranged to set a few minutes aside at 6am to do his prayers. This was his time that he set aside, and believes so staunchly in that he will even leave his job alone for some quiet time of solitary prayer. I was highly convicted.
In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he is concluding his letter with some simple reminders to the people.
16Rejoice always, 17pray without ceasing, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19Do not quench the Spirit. 20Do not despise prophecies, 21but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22Abstain from every form of evil.
How do we claim to have the Truth, and not live it out like these people?
I remember when I was living in Ireland, I was speaking to a Muslim chick that I met on Grafton Street in Centre City Dublin. She had once been Protestant, even claimed to be a Christian (though we all know how that works). She had made some Islamic friends, and was blown away by how seriously they took their beliefs. It converted her, because she felt like Christians claimed to have the only way, but didn’t live in light of what they claimed. Islam did. That has never left my mind.
So I would encourage you, grab hold of a verse for each day, and claim it. Pray it. Learn it. Live it. Take 5 minutes of your morning to pray. Then 10 minutes of your lunch. Then 20 minutes of your evening. It will make all the difference in how you view your day, and is a simple way to keep your day focused on the one true and living God.
