My life has changed dramatically the past year. Many of you have heard my story of prayer (if you haven’t, click here to read the blog post I wrote about it) and how dedicated time in prayer has been the most important facet of my daily routine.
This time in prayer has become very consistent. Consistency is important. I’m all about spontaneity (especially if I’m with the right people!) but a disciplined and fruitful life isn’t built around consistent spontaneity (that’s an oxymoron if I’ve ever heard one). There’s something very important about having a routine.
Some of the things we do consistently are intentional and some are habitual. The balance between habitual and intentional can be a little hard to come upon… at what point do we need to look at a habit and make sure we’re doing it for the right reasons? At what point can we stop trying so hard to do something intentionally and just let it become part of life?
I’m grateful for my consistent time with the Father the past year. But lately, I’ve been inspired to think beyond being consistent to a being constant. I want my time with Him in the morning to be just the initiator for a constant conversation throughout the day. We see Jesus as the example – He spent time alone with the Father, but also seemed to have a constant connection with Him, doing only what the Father said to do.
I was very challenged by the book The Circle Maker. In it, Mark Batterson shares a quote from Frank Laubach, a gospel worker in the Philippines (1844-1970). Laubach dedicated his life to constant prayer: “We try to call him to mind at least one second of each minute. We do not need to forget other things nor stop our work, but we invite Him to share everything we do or say or think… I feel I’ve seen a little of that marvelous pull that Jesus had as He walked along the road day after day ‘God-intoxicated’ and radiant with endless communion of His soul with God.”
What has helped you live in more constant fellowship with the Father?