Prayer and Procrastination

Prayer is a difficult thing.

Setting a time out of my morning, day or evening can be nearly an impossible task. So many distractions here, there, over in the corner.

“But this project is important!”

“I'm too tired to get up this early!”

“Maybe in an hour or so.”

But procrastination only serves to make any amount of personal prayer time even more unattainable. If I don't do it when I feel led to, when I know I have the time, when I have set aside the time in the morning... then I will end up not doing it at all.

Procrastination is one of the main scourges of my current existence. It is so easy to say “not now,” far easier than saying “now or never.”

Self-discipline is so important. And excessively difficult.

It's deciding that prayer and fasting is more important than the dinner laid out for everyone else in the home. It's deciding that that extra hour spent with the Lord is more important than the project I'm working on, or hanging out with my family, or reading that novel. It's deciding that fasting for a few days to focus on prayer for a specific issue is more important than any amount of food, snacks, treats or meals that I might encounter during that time.

It's making these decisions, and then acting on them.

Then once I begin acting on them, there's a whole other part that comes into play: Faith. This can sometimes be the clincher. It is easier to believe God CAN do anything, but may not and so base my prayers on “if it is your will”, than it is to believe God CAN and WILL do anything, and so pray with that conviction and belief.

God doesn't want wishy-washy prayers. God doesn't want prayers based on a “plan B” – “well if God doesn't answer this prayer, I will just have this as a fallback plan.” Of course, He will not answer prayers outside of His will or character, but too often we pray prayers that we KNOW are His will, and yet begin with the premise that He most likely will not answer them!

God desires to provide for His children, to prove His might and power and glory through their lives, and through their prayers. It is just up to me to make the time, make the sacrifices, and to trust – to build my faith.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. - John 14:12-14