“It is better to pray 30 minutes daily and consistently than to pray for 10 hours once in a week.” This was the understanding I was supplied while growing up in the faith. The one who prays 30 minutes daily and consistently would be stronger than the one who prays just once a week. What makes us strong is not what we do once in a while. It is what we do daily. We must learn to practise God’s presence.
Friend, fellowship with God is not an activity we do once in a while. It is an ongoing practice (2 Corinthians 13:14). We must carry the revelation of this truth into our everyday lives. God wants us to be conscious of His presence in our lives on a daily basis. It is true that God’s presence is with you if you are a child of God, but it is the practice of that presence that will make you enjoy the blessing of the presence (Hebrews 13:5-6).
You need to move beyond having a prayer life to having a life of prayer. One great man once said; “I don’t ever pray any longer than twenty minutes. Yes, but I never go twenty minutes without praying.” What this renowned preacher meant is this; “I have a life of prayer; I think prayer, breathe prayer, talk prayer, and act prayer.”
Prayer is not an emergency response to life’s problems. It should be our default setting (Acts 6:4). It must become a second nature to us. Since we have the Holy Spirit in us and with us as Christians, prayer is simply maintaining an ongoing communication with Him as we go through life. The Holy Spirit does not want to be abandoned or just used when we need Him. He wants to be part of our everyday life.
Those who have learnt to practise God’s presence have learnt to commune with the Holy Spirit no matter where they are or what they do. They have learnt to have a mobile Christian life, not a stationary or rigid one (John 8:28). Aside from having a scheduled time of prayers, word study, worship, etc., they have learnt that communing with God must not be left to a location or a schedule. It must be ongoing.
As you go into today, learn to practise the presence of God. Ask Him questions. Give Him thanks. Adore Him. Listen to His silent whispers in your heart. Obey His instructions. Practise God’s presence, and you would enjoy the blessings of His presence (Psalms 114:1-8). You will succeed!
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria