Don’t Rush Your Time with God
I cringe whenever someone says, “Let’s just say a quick prayer.”
Prayer is holy communication with the Almighty. It is a hallowed honor that we, as mere human beings, are granted the privilege to experience with the Divine.
I’ve never comprehended why God bothers to listen to us or why he cares about what’s troubling us.
Why does the Creator condescend to the created?
Yet he does.
He wants to hear from us, but not just to ask for things. We can thank him too; we can praise him—even though we often forget.
Prayer is such a sacred act. It’s bad enough when we forget to check in with God or take our communion of words with him for granted.
I think it grieves him even more when we minimize the solemn act of prayer by preceding it with “just.” To “just pray,” trivializes prayer. We need to stop it and treat prayer as serious business.
Equally appalling is when we suggest saying a “quick prayer.” Yes, there are times that warrant short prayers, such as when an out of control car careens our way or when we don’t know what to say in a volatile situation.
We can also breathe our praise for a beautiful sunset, a kindness experienced, or God’s provision for another day.
However, a “quick prayer” generally dishonors God. It implies we don’t have time for him or feel obliged to squeeze in some obligatory words before doing something we think is more important.
What could be more important than connecting with God? Surely, a “quick prayer” distresses him.
Yes, I have said, “Let’s just say a quick prayer,” and I hope to never say it again.
God expects better and deserves more.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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