On our second day in Peru, we discussed prayer. We found ourselves looking into the prayer life of Daniel, and thought about his patterns of prayer. We mentioned the similarities with Daniel's 3 times a day to the Muslims' 5 times a day, and the wheels of my mind began turning...Is a prayer regiment essential or just recommended? What influence does prayer have on a person? on God? Why did Daniel need to pray 3 times a day? or did he pray more?
As we talked, I thought back to the book "Soul Revolution" that I had finished just a few weeks earlier. The premise of the book is that we need to focus on God more in order for our soul to be changed. The author recommended a 60/60 experiment which basically stopping every 60 minutes of every day for 60 days to refocus yourself on God. The idea is that if you begin to develop the pattern of keeping short tabs with God, that intimacy with Him will follow.
I find it interesting that the more self reliant I am, and the more independent of others (and God) I seek to be, the less I will find that I need to pray or talk with God. The amazing part is that self reliance and independence are illusions! When we realize the depth of our need for our Savior, and the frailty of our humanness apart from a God that is all powerful, we cannot help but run to Him regularly. WE NEED HIM. As Americans, and ultimately humans, this flies in the face of our own reliance on ourselves - it is okay to want God, but to need Him is going a little too far.
Well, back to the questions at hand... Structured prayer times are important, but constant prayer is essential. Prayer influences my desire to be self sufficient - reminding me that I am not, and it influences our God to "remind" Him that we need Him for every aspect of our lives. As to Daniel, I only know for certain what the Word records, but with the powerful way he lived his life, and with the amazing things God did on his behalf, I am sure that his prayer time was not limited to 3 times a day.
What about your prayer life???
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