Prayer must be at center of our lives

As Christians we know that prayer is an important element in our walk with God. It’s the way we communicate with Him and He with us. But I wonder if we realize just how important prayer is to our life and mission.

I recently read a devotional in which the author talked about this aspect. After leaving Egypt, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. During this time God instructed them to build a tabernacle, also called a tent of meeting, where He dwelt and would meet and speak with the people. Now this tent was always located in the center of the camp and the other tents were positioned around it. The relationship to the importance of prayer was made in this way:

“The tent of meeting must always be set up in the center of the camp. So, you must set it up in the center of your life. It must be the center of your day, the center of your schedule, the center of everything you do. That’s the key. If it’s not the center, then every other thing will crowd it out of existence.

“You don’t fit your time with God around your day or around your activities; you fit your day and activities around your time with God and the sacred meetings of that relationship can only occupy one place in your life … the center. Center your life around God … and the times of your life around your time with Him. When you do that, everything else will fall into place.” (From: The Book of Mysteries by Johnathan Cahn, p 116)

This centrality of prayer was exemplified in the life of Christ. He rose early (Mark 1:35) and often withdrew to places of solitude to pray (Luke 5:16). He did this because He knew that communion with the Father was essential to fulfilling His mission. We also have a calling, a mission to fulfill in life (Ephesians 4:1-4) and, like Jesus, we are “hard-wired” for intimacy with the Father. Thus, making prayer the center of our life is essential to fulfilling our mission as well. Are you willing to accept God’s invitation to do this?

Jim Kubiak is interim senior pastor at Harvest Valley Worship Center, a refuge for healing and a launchpad for transformation. He can be reached at hvwc.com.