«Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is»
(Mark 13:33).
THERE IS NO DOUBT that we live busy lives. Work, studies, family, church our agendas are full from Monday to Friday and, for some of us, Saturdays are no less busy. It is because of this hustle and bustle of life that we sometimes neglect the things to which we really need to give the number one priority. Among the things that take precedence in the Christian life is prayer.
«You need to watch, lest the busy activities of life lead you to neglect prayer when you most need the strength prayer would give. Godliness is in danger of being crowded out of the soul through over-devotion to business. It is a great evil to defraud the soul of the strength and heavenly wisdom which are waiting your demand. You need that illumination which God alone can give. No one is fitted to transact his business unless he has this wisdom» (Whitey Prayer, ch. 2, p. 25).
The problem we have is that sometimes it is precisely the daily routine that leads us to feel so sure of ourselves, so in control of our lives, so satisfied with what we are and have, that we forget what the true source of our strength is. It is not our accomplishments, our possessions, or our personal relationships that provide moral and spiritual strength: it is our connection with God. We cannot neglect it without suffering the consequences, in our emotional health, in our work performance, and in all the everyday situations of life.
The strength acquired in prayer to God, united with individual effort in training the mind to thoughtfulness and caretaking, prepares the person for daily duties and keeps the spirit in peace under all circumstances, however trying. The temptations to which we are daily exposed make prayer a necessity. In order that we may be kept by the power of God through faith, the desires of the mind should be continually ascending in silent prayer for help, for light, for strength, for knowledge. … work and prayer are both required in perfecting Christian character» (ibid.).
And that is the path you and 1 are on, my dear friend: perfecting the Christian character. May God help us to achieve this, giving priority to those things that are a priority.