Is Christianity like…crunches?!?
I try to stay in shape.
I’m not a fitness nut, or a muscle-bound weight lifter, or an ultra-ironman or anything, but I do like to be relatively healthy; in fairly decent shape - that sort of thing.
But I’m not as dedicated as I should be.
As a result, I often have periods, like the past couple of weeks - when, for whatever reason, I’ve missed several workouts, or runs, or both. Those periods, then, directly result in having days, like yesterday - when I have to face the often painful re-entrance into workouts, runs, or both. Yesterday was a “both” day and I’m still kinda sore… Nevertheless, this is not what this post is about - or at least directly about. 
You see, last night, as I was trying to relax a little bit and stretch out my sore tired muscles, I realized something:
Prayer is an awful lot like sit-ups.
Think about it: we all love the results of sit-ups, right? Rock-hard, toned ab muscles, a sleek waistline, etc… etc… (I don’t want to sound like an “Ab-er-sizer” commercial here, but you get the general idea…). However, we rarely (for me never) enjoy the effort it takes to actually DO the sit-ups; often we “forget” to do them, or make excuses for ourselves so that we do not have to do them, or whatever. Worse yet, we do the sit-ups, but only do them half-heartedly.
Prayer is often times, the same way…
We all love the results of prayer - the answers to questions, or guidance of our Heavenly Father, the peace that comes from hearing His voice, the wisdom and knowledge that comes from meditating on His Word, or simply the time of quiet communion with Him. However, we rarely take the time to slow down, humble ourselves before our Father and Creator and seek His face. Or worse yet, we rush through prayer, or perform a “cursory glance” through our prayer lists, think on it for a moment or three, and then busily go on about our business.
And don’t get me wrong, true-believers (as Stan Lee often says), I’m talking just as much to MYSELF here as to anyone - maybe MORESO to myself than anybody else. I am guilty of all of the above (including the bits on sit-ups!)
I wonder what would happen if we actually took the time each day to pray like we should… I guess there’s more than just a casual euphemism to the phrase, “prayer warrior” - maybe if we prayed the way we should each day we would develop “abs of spiritual steel”…
Here’s a segment from E.M. Bounds’ book “Power Through Prayer”, from the chapter entitled “The Letter Killeth” (If you want to read a humbling book–besides the Bible–I recommend this one):
‘Preaching which kills is prayerless preaching [note: Matt. 28:19,20 calls us all to preach]. Without prayer the preacher creates death, and not life. The preacher who is feeble in prayer is feeble in life-giving forces. The preacher who has retired prayer as a conspicuous and largely prevailing element in his own character has shorn his preaching of its distinctive life-giving power. Professional praying there is and will be, but professional praying helps the preaching to its deadly work. Professional praying chills and kills both preaching and praying. Much of the lax devotion and lazy, irreverant attitudes in congregational praying are attributable to professional praying in the pulpit. Long, discursive, dry, and inane are the prayers in many pulpits. Without unction or heart, they fall like a killing frost on all the graces of worship. Death-dealing prayers they are. Every vestige of devotion has perished under their breath. The deader they are, the longer they grow. A plea for short praying, live praying, real heart praying, praying by the Holy Spirit–direct, specific, ardent, simple, unctuous in the pulpit–is in order. A school to teach preachers how to pray, as God counts praying, would be more beneficial to true piety, true worship, and true preaching than all theological schools.
Stop! Pause! Consider! Where are we? What are we doing? Preaching to kill? Praying to kill? Praying to God! the great God, the maker of all worlds, the judge of all men! What reverence! What simplicity! What sincerity! What truth in the inward parts is demanded! How real we must be! How hearty! Prayer to God is the noblest experience, the loftiest effort of man, the most real thing! Shall we not discard forever accursed preaching that kills and prayer that kills, and do the real thing–prayerful praying, life-creating praying, bring the mightiest force to bear on heaven and earth and draw on God’s exhaustless and open treasure for the need and beggary of man?’
I petitioned my youth pastor for a spiritual challenge…he handed me the iron-fisted oratory for the cause of a bleeding heart. This man didn’t only talk on prayer: he prayed. As the publisher pens in the preface: “…He rose at 4 a.m. daily for many years [to pray], and was indefatigable in his study of the Bible”.
Let us likewise take up Paul’s admonition to “Pray without ceasing”, lest in ceasing to pray we give increase to sin (”Praying causes a man to cease from sin, and sin tempts a man to cease from praying” –John Bunyan).
Grace and peace,
Benjamin (Corey)
Comment by Tsidkenu — January 12, 2006 @ 10:20 pm
I could not agree more, Corey (glad to see you here, BTW) and think that your text above underscores my post nicely. The only way to become a “spiritual ironman” and draw closer to God is to talk to him as much as you possibly can. As we can read in Luke 18:1, Romans 12:12, Ephesians 6:18, Colossians 4:2, and 1 Thessalonians 5:17, the need for a fervent and unyielding prayer life is essential to drawing ever closer to our Savior. It only makes sense, really - I did not get as close as I am to my best friend (my wife) by never talking to her (or never listening), so why should we think that it would be any different for Christ? If he’s your spiritual best friend, then it is only a logical assumption that you would want to talk to (and about, actually) him as much as you can!!!
Comment by Administrator — January 13, 2006 @ 1:29 am
Yeah, the Lord’s been opening that kind of prayer opportunity up recently. Like the Lord says, “Seek, and you will find…Knock, and it will be opened up to you.” Sometimes we have to ask, “Lord, make we willing to be willing”, since it’s only when we “Delight in the Lord” that “He’ll grant the desires of our heart”, including those that focus on spiritual growth. I’ll try to get that stuff written out for the game, but I’ll be gone all weekend. The Lord bless all of you. Cya.
Grace and peace,
Benjamin/Tsidkenu
PS: I think that last part with be my name; Hebrew for “Righteousness”, fitting for a Luminous.
Comment by Tsidkenu — January 13, 2006 @ 5:02 pm
Hey Brannon,
According to Hebrew tradition, if a Rabbi called a person to follow Him, then (after years of discipleship) they were to be able to do as he did, to the last “T”. They’d also carry on the Rabbi’s interpretation of the Torah (scriptures) as well.
Likewise, in light that Christ came as a Jew and addresses us as His disciples/followers, shouldn’t our lives consist of His full ministry (e.g. clarity, wisdom, prayer life, miracles, love, etc.)?
Of course, this is often considered “Ideal”–and thus thrown out with all other ideals. Yet, isn’t that just aiding and assisting our enemy to surrender the fullness, richness and depth of our Lord’s ministry, limiting the statement articulated in John 14:12–”Verily, verily, I say unto you, ‘He that believes on me, the works that I do he will do as well; and greater works than these will he do; because I go unto my Father.’” (cf. Mark 16:17-18)–to just mere character and not metaphysical phenomenon (miracles) as well?
***Note: As with all things, these passages have their abuses, yet I am not speaking of such; my concern is more that if we are to have a Christ-centered life, then to what depth (if, indeed, there is such a thing as a finite “depth” to it) does He mean? The context speaks of us being able to fulfill both Jewish tradition of Rabbi/Disciple covenant and (of course) that Christ’s words are true. For, it says our unbelief, not His fallacy, makes (or claims) God a liar.
Just thought I’d pen these thoughts (forgive me if I’m treating this too much like a forum).
God bless,
Benjamin
PS: This flows from my struggle in prayer as well, since the King said that some miracles (i.e. Demon possession–not to say I’ve seen this) are by “prayer and fasting”. Would like to see our King’s dominion honored a bit more in the material realm is all…
Comment by Tsidkenu — January 18, 2006 @ 4:31 am