PARENTS: Can you find time to PRAY? - Part II

Do newlyweds on their honeymoon need to be pressured to spend time together? When kids are in the midst of a fun game with friends, do they need to be pushed to spend more time with each other?

Or think about it this way: if the whole point of life is to fulfill the purposes God has planned for us, then it's simply common sense to take time to check-in with Him, so He can show us His direction and daily agenda.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10 NKJV).

PRAYER: What an honor!

As a Christian family, do you realize what an incredible honor it is to take time to fellowship with God? He's the Almighty All-powerful God of the entire universe. He's more important than the biggest celebrity or political power on our planet! Our time with God should be more precious than anything else in our life - more valuable than making money, more refreshing than our favorite hobbies, even more precious than time with our closest loved ones.

Don't attempt to "fit" prayer into your busy schedule; fit your schedule around prayer!

We all have 24 hours in every day. No matter how much we try to give the excuse that our schedule is beyond our control, we need to acknowledge (with all honesty) that we ultimately take time for whatever we want to take time for; and in most of our lives and personal schedules, there is a lot of wasted time. Rather than attempting to "fit" a new devotional time or quiet time into an already stressful and packed schedule, switch your mindset and begin with prayer.

Keep your ears open in prayer

Remember that communication with God is a two-way conversation; it's not just a monologue, but a dialogue. Isn’t that incredible?! The Lord not only wants to hear our prayers, but He also desires to fellowship and communicate with us. God desires to speak to us and to direct our lives for His eternal purposes, through the Bible, through circumstances He sets up for His purposes, and through His Holy Spirit (often as a strong impression or thought in line with God's Word).

As parents, when we want to communicate with our children, it's not enough for them to only tell us everything they're thinking. We also want our children to be willing to listen.

Prayer, just like any close relationship, takes time . . .

It takes time to develop meaningful relationships -- with our friends, our kids, our spouse, and with our God. But it doesn't have to be "hard." All throughout the day, we can "pray without ceasing" by being constantly aware of His presence and acknowledging Him as we’re going about our everyday routine; however, it's also good to have special time set aside just for Him.

Even though it may seem like we don't have any discretionary time (because we have so much we "have" to do), it's absolutely nothing compared to what Christ needed to do in such a short time. And if you want to fulfill God's plans and purposes for your life, and receive His daily direction for your family, your time with God is vital. No activity or ministry on earth is more important than prayer. Ultimately, we all need to take responsibility for how we use our time.

Let's take time for God's eternal purposes. Let's take time to pray.