It happens to me from time to time. I’m rolling along, feeling pretty good about my spiritual life, and the Lord begins to show me things that help me see where I am coming up short. This time it’s my prayer life.

Oh, I pray. Judy and I pray together for family, friends, the day’s challenges, ministry…it can sometimes be a long list. I’ve also learned the value of praying with people right at their point of need. No matter where we are. By the way, I’ve never had anyone turn down an offer to pray for them as they shared needs.

But as God points out things, I am reminded that the Lord wants us to spend time with Him—not just to bring our list of things, but to stay with Him long enough to hear what God has to say to us. I’ve found it is a discipline that I need to exercise in order for it to take hold of me and my prayer time.

I’ve noticed in the Old Testament book of Nehemiah that in the opening verses, this leader prayed three different ways. First, as he learned of the situation in Jerusalem, he spent days in prayer and fasting.

When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 1:4 NLT

After that period of prayer, Nehemiah followed up with a prayer he verbalized, which is found in Nehemiah 1:5-11.

Some months later, when he was in the presence of the King and was asked what was wrong, Nehemiah breathed a quick prayer to the Lord. This brief prayer was effective because of the longer times spent in prayer previously. A lesson for us all.

E. M. Bounds, who lived over a hundred years ago, was a lawyer, author, and church layman. He is known best for his writings on prayer, such as the book Power Through Prayer. It is said Bounds spent each morning from 4:00 to 7:00 a.m. in prayer. Bounds wrote:

“The men who have most fully illustrated Christ in their characters, and have most powerfully affected the world for Him, have been men who spent so much time with God as to make it a notable feature of their lives.”

Out of his own experience, Bounds gives this instruction:

“Many private prayers must be short, and public prayers, as a rule, should be short and condensed. But in our private communications with God time is a feature essential to its value. Much time spent with God is the secret of all successful praying.”

Bounds, Power Through Prayer

Much time spent with God…

I’m working on that. Will you join me?

God’s best,