A number of years ago I realized that I had so many interests that I would fail to do anything super well because I was to fragmented. I needed to do some serious cutting out of my life some activities so I could be successful in one or two areas. I decided to write a purpose statement for my life that would zero in on what I wanted to accomplish. I came up with this; “I will be a man devoted to prayer, and I will convince as many others to be devoted to prayer as I can.” I am sure that if I want to accomplish the maximum possible in my lifetime this is the route I need to go.

So the first part of my purpose statement I have been accomplishing fairly well. I spend about an hour praying every day, and I have seasons where I spend up to 8 hours praying, usually during our church’s 5 day prayer events four times a year. I struggle with the discipline of prayer like everyone else. I fall asleep while praying, my mind wanders over to fishing or hunting, I get bored, and it becomes a grind to stay at it faithfully. The thing that helps my private prayer life stay alive and energized is the corporate prayer times that I attend during the week and then these quarterly 5 days of prayer that go 10 hours each day really launch me into a prayer attitude and faithfulness.

The second part of my life purpose of convincing as many other people as possible to become devoted to prayer has been less successful and at times down right discouraging. I get so much “push back” from people who are wanting to justify their own lack of prayer, and to get me to quit making them feel guilty for their less than fully devoted prayer life.

I am convinced that my struggle is not really with people, but with the demons that follow them everywhere they go or riding on their shoulders. These demons know that they can’t stay connected to people who pray more than token prayers so they talk non-stop to them with all the reasons and excuses why being devoted to prayer is for others, especially corporate prayer. They hear them in their own thoughts which they think are their own thoughts and wisdom coming right straight from them.

Sometimes as Roscoe sits on my lap and gives me this look, I wonder what goes on in his mind. Is he capable of having an opinion, and if so what’s his opinion of me. I guess that is kind of dumb wondering if a dog likes me or not. Sometimes I wonder that about people in my life, people in our church, do they like me? What do they think about my preaching, my teaching, do they like my new shirt, and I wonder if they think I am fat or just a little overweight. I remember as a kid pulling pedals off of a flower one at a time saying, “ she loves me, she loves me not, she loves me, she loves me not. . .

One of the great warnings in the Bible is living life to please people rather than God.

Matthew 6:1 Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,

Ephesians 6:6-7 not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men,

I have often thought how much easier it would be to be motivated by the desire to please the Lord if I could just hear His voice. God the Father spoke audibly from heaven when Jesus was baptized and said, “this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased”. Wow, how cool would that be to hear God’s booming voice from heaven say that to me!

David Brainard, a missionary to Native Americans in the very early years of our country was in the habit of praying three and four hours each day for those that lived around him who he was trying to reach with gospel. He once said that the more he prayed the more sensitive his heart became to the pleasure of God in him. David Brainard was known for the incredible sacrifices he made to live with the Indians, the hours he spent on his knees in the snow praying, the hours he spent working to serve and to help those he was trying to reach, and everything that he left behind to live where he lived.

He once commented that what others called sacrifice was very enjoyable to him when he sensed the pleasure of God in him for doing what he was doing.

The more I pray the more sensitive my heart becomes to the pleasure of God in me, that motivates me to pray sacrificially.