1 Peter 3:12
For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their prayer. But the face of the LORD is against evildoers.
The Apostle Peter, writing to persecuted and suffering Christians, here quotes Psalm 34:15 to remind them of their most-privileged status and priceless gift. They are beloved in the sight of Almighty God, who has HIs eyes fixed upon them, attentively overseeing every moment and every detail. And they (we!), formerly reprehensible and barred from Him as evildoers, have now received real-time, anytime, all-the-time access to Him in prayer. Dear Christian, through Christ, you now have God’s ear! He listens for your cry to Him! Like a loving parent’s ear is ever attuned to the voice of their child, infinitely more so is your Heavenly Father’s ear attuned to you. And best of all, He hears your prayer through Jesus!
If you have been neglecting this priceless gift of prayer, now is a good time to change that; now is a good time to become a person of prayer! In the midst of this tsunamic crisis sweeping over the globe, you need to pray! You need to lift your eyes and burdens to the Lord! Your loved ones need you to pray! Your Christian brothers and sisters need you to pray! The world and its leaders need you to pray!
Start a prayer practice by blocking off a daily portion of time devoted to being with the Lord, just the two of you. Attune your eyes and ears to Him, even as His are attuned to you. Go on a walk with Him, if you have a hard time being still. Prayer is not you talking the whole time. It doesn’t require you talking aloud, or even formulating sentences in your mind. Prayer is spending time intentionally communing with God. Lift your thoughts and the groanings of your spirit to God, and listen for His Spirit’s voice
Take everything to God in prayer, all that is on your heart! As authors, Tim and Kathy Keller, observe and apply from the example of Job, “even when Job is saying things he will repent for later, he is still praying. Yes, he is complaining and crying–but to God. So never let your suffering stop you from praying and worshipping. …Lord, even when I don’t know what to say to you, I need to tell you that. In dark times, prevent me from withdrawing and just talking and thinking to myself. I pray for prayer. Give me a desire to pray and then show me your face. Amen.” (God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life, New York: Viking Press, 2017, p. 80).
What time, daily, will you devote to prayer, starting today, and who will you tell, today, of your commitment, and encourage to do the same?