Day 3: Prayer is Authentic Relationship (Romans 8:26-28)
Guys, it is day 3 of the Discipline Restored challenge- Welcome to another day and another opportunity to be committed to the prize and the process to get you there. Yesterday I challenged you to consider how much you value prayer and suggested that it is the Gorilla Glue of life. Through prayer, God’s power and presence is unleashed, but it only happens if we’re actually using it.
Prayer matters because of relationship. You can’t have a relationship with someone without communication – There have been several heroes in my life that I’ve looked up to and admired from afar – As a kid born outside Chicago, I became a lifelong Bulls fan when I was old enough to start watching the NBA. Everyone wanted to “be like Mike” because he was greatest basketball player of all time, a cultural icon, and was simply one of the coolest guys on the planet. But while he may have had an influence on my life, I can’t say I have a relationship with Michael Jordan. We’ve never met and he has no idea who the heck I am. Even though I could watch him in the stands or grab an autograph from him at an event, I would be foolish to think that somehow we’re now close friends after those long-distance encounters.
To build any sort of meaningful relationship with someone requires communication and connection. To build intimacy with my wife means I need to both share my perspective – and yes, sometimes emotions – and I need to be intentional about listening to her feelings and perspective. The process of back and forth listening and sharing is absolutely essential to creating trust and growth in a relationship.
Patience. Stillness. Vulnerability. Listening. Sharing. Do these qualities sound like most men? We tend to suck at communication. We’re not quick to open up, we hold onto the details, don’t ask leading questions, don’t like to patiently listen. Now add to the fact that the person we’re supposed to be doing these things with is the GOD OF THE UNIVERSE, and prayer can quickly feel overwhelming and intimidating.
Here’s the good news: God doesn’t want you to be perfect at praying before you start. You don’t need to have big words or do it for hours upon end without distraction. God just wants you to be you, with Him. Prayer is simply focusing our time and desire towards communication – both listening and sharing – with a God who already knows everything about you and still wants to spend as much time with you as you can give.
So as we start talking about how to make prayer part of your training, know that God wants you to succeed more than anyone else. In fact, we’re told that He’s already part of the process, helping us get better at this prayer thing. Listen to these words from Romans 8:26-28:
God’s Spirit helps us in our weakness and even when we don’t know how to pray, He speaks for us. He already knows our hearts and His Spirit is speaking on our behalf. And we know God is working for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
These verses are telling you that God is on your side in this process- He is working for your success. He is ready to pick up the slack if and when you struggle with this- All He wants from you today is to come and be you…with Him.
Your discipline training for today is simple: I want you to take at least 5 minutes to talk and listen to God – so set a timer on your phone, but I’m not giving you any structure or guidelines to how you do this. You can write Him a letter, you can speak out loud, you can keep the words in your head. Find a quiet place without distractions- the shower, the bathroom, your backyard – And start the conversation with this: “God, I’m here to spend time with you…” Then be brutally honest about your day – what’s hard, what’s good, what do you need help with? Don’t hold back, be you. That’s what He wants.
Go text your buddy about your conversation with God today- what did you end up sharing with Him today? Was there something that you heard Him share back to you? And I’ll be back again with you for day 4 of the challenge tomorrow morning.
Discipline Training
- Find a quiet place and time without distractions to spend at least 5 minutes talking and listening to God
- Share one takeaway from that time with your friend
