This is the Truth Network. Encouraging prayer. God offers an open invitation for His people to talk with Him at any time about anything. On Encouraging Prayer, Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling Prayers for Prodigals and many other books on prayer, provides weekly biblical insight to help you learn to love to pray.
And now, here's James.
So today we're going to be talking about wasting time with God. Oh, this is going to be a fun one, James. Is time spent with God a waste? Is it ever the case? Not at all, but here's the ironic thing.
We can feel that way, and we do. If we're not careful Every day. I I see what you mean. And any time we feel like that, right, I've got too much stuff to do today. I don't have time to sit and pray for five minutes.
I have to jump right in. Uh it that in so many words, you know, we're saying that prayer Is a waste of time. It's scary. Right. Yeah.
I mean, we've never put it that way. You know, but that's what's going on in our minds and our hearts. You know, we've all done that, but look, this isn't about a legalistic approach to prayer. that says, you know, it's got to be done exactly this way. This is about how we see prayer, how we really understand it.
The funny thing is that if we have that legalistic approach where everything has to happen with our prayer and our scripture reading and our devotional life, just so. Yeah. then we can set ourselves up for failure and we can crowd God out.
So how so?
Well, I'm I'm a list guy and and praying the list of others' names Helps me because it jogs my memory, keeps me faithful, praying for their needs. But if I'm not careful, it can be all about getting the list done. And um Coming to God with my requests. and my needs rather than actually just being with him, just just spending time with him, not thinking about the amount of time even. And because the ironic thing is that it's just being with God without an agenda.
that causes us to be more effective for him. I love it. I absolutely love it. And by the way, I live that 'cause You know, I have a list of and when I wake up every morning You know, I just use it like a starter, like a fire starter, like a kindler. Yep.
Yep, I know. I do too. And it's not that that's a bad thing, but sometimes you can get stuck in a rut with it, right? Oh, sometimes I have to put it down. I really do.
And my on-fire starter or whatever to catch myself. Is I try to go to that secret place. You know, I can't explain how to get there other than it's definitely worth the effort. And when I get there, Then I just like to ask God, How are you today? What are you?
That is what are you feeling? What are you feeling, right? Oh, that is so good. I've been reading a great book recently called Lead with Prayer. And in the very first chapter, one of the authors, Ryan Skoog, talks about how rather than making productivity our goal, We should make friendship.
we've got our goal. And I thought, oh my gosh, first time I read that, I was like, How much do I make productivity, Michael, every single day? I mean, I don't just make lists for prayer, I make lists for everything that I do during the day. He quotes this guy who says, the people who have the most consistent in vibrant prayer lives are the ones who actually learn to like praying. And you know, that made me laugh because I think about You know, the Yeah, I do like praying.
I I love praying, but then sometimes I make it this task. And I I like what my friend Daniel Henderson sense that You know, prayer isn't just something that we have to do, it's something we get to do. And I realized again, Mant. You know, I need to see it more that way. Oh, I I I'm so with you, and it is such a struggle.
not to be legal legalistic about it like, man. But by the same token, I I can't agree with you more about the time aspect. And it's the very reason that I get up at what a lot of people consider to be crazy time in the morning, because the last thing I want Is because I have this horrible taskmaster inside of me that has a timekeeper, you know, and I don't want that guy chiming into my prayer time, you know? Oh, man. Oh, no, I totally get it.
I because I Yeah.
So let's look at this. How do we waste time with God then? And I think it starts with just sitting with him. You know, again, just being with him. try and and this is the thing that's so hard for me, Try spending time with him without asking for anything.
You know? Just a door in. Love yum. talk with him Uh but Like you're saying, you know, how are you feeling today? What's going on with you?
I found out that as I tried to. Do this. I'm so used to asking. When what I need to do is spend more time listening. And again, you know, just being so that I can receive the insights God wants to give me that will in the end make me more effective, right?
Oh, it's so cl it's so true. 'Cause he knows your heart so well. Right? That oftentimes in prayer, I don't know if you've had this experience. But the rabbit trails that your mind goes on, you find out he was kind of behind some of that.
Yeah, I don't know. Yeah, no, that's exactly right. And we want to go there. We want to be led. by the Holy Spirit and And when that happens, You start to see things happen that, wow.
you know, suddenly you realize, wait a minute, Again, you know. There's Jacob, the Lord was in this place and I didn't know it, you know? Exactly. That's beautiful. Yeah, yeah.
And this is so important. Again, Just Make being with Him, loving Him, make friendship with God. our goal. That's what Scoop points out. Um not productivity.
And when we do that, Mm-hmm. Man, it changes things. Oh, it does. It absolutely does. And and the thing that just blows me away, even this morning, is how much he knows my heart.
and how well he loves me. And how gentle and kind he is, 'cause he knew that I'd I'd had a situation with a family member that I really needed to apologize to, but I didn't really see it that way until he kind of just led me into this rabbit trail this morning. And all of a sudden he's like, So what do you think you need to do?
Well, I'm just not going to talk to well, that doesn't work. But he was, you know, that's the beauty of letting him lead sometimes. Is he takes you to places that are uncomfortable that you don't necessarily want to go to, but so, so rich. And so, I hate we're speaking of rich, I hate we're out of time. I think we should pray.
Here we go. Yeah, let's do it. I'll pray. Jesus, you said that you are the vine and we are the branches, and that means you are. The very source of our life and everything, it all flows from you.
So Lord, help us to just be in that flow, to just be in you, not making it all about us. Um It just just loving you and listening and being bless us, help us in this to make you our goal and not productivity. Uh Just to be yours. In Jesus' name. I'm bad.
Amen. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website, jamesbanks.org, or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray.
