"I love the sense of satisfaction that I get when I’ve done a swimming workout or race, and know that I gave my whole being and heart to God in every moment of the swim. It’s the best worship I can offer him."
Faithful prayer
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. Colossians 1:9How often have we told someone we would pray for them and not done it? Paul is able to tell the Colossians that he has prayed for them since he heard of them. In this short email I want to give you two tips to help you to be faithful in prayer.
The first tip is theoretical or theological. We must believe in prayer! We read in Hebrews: “Anyone who comes to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). We will not pray if we do not believe that God hears and answers. Think about it: what a privilege prayer is, that opportunity to speak to the creator and sustainer of the universe, the one who loved us so much that he died for us. Let’s not neglect the privilege.
Remember too that prayer works. “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective”. James 5:16
The second tip is practical. It is so easy to let prayer be crowded out of your day. Praying at the same time every day may help. I always try to pray early, before breakfast. I have a notebook where I note down people and things I have promised to pray for. Another practical point is that I don’t pray in my office as I feel that I will be distracted by the computer or my phone. I find a quiet spot.
Athletes live disciplined lives. I have never heard an athlete say that he trains if he can fit it into the day. The day, rather, revolves around training. Let’s use some of the discipline sport teaches us to make sure we pray daily.