One day Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray. Luke eleven one. Oswald Chambers calls prayer the holy occupation of the Christian. Prayer is our business, our most important business as believers. There's no question that God wants his people to come together to talk with him. Most christians adamantly claim that they do pray. But if we're honest, we will admit that we are often guilty of preferring to do something we think more exciting, more interesting, or more productive with our time than praying. And often the more exciting, more interesting, more productive things we have in mind are watching tv, playing games, going out with friends, or attending to business. When we do pray, it is often little more than a few garbled words before a meal or at bedtime, a sharp difference compared to those like Martin Luther, who often spent hours at a time in prayer. Few churches hold regular prayer meetings anymore, and when they do, only a handful of people actually attend, and many of them do so out of a sense of obligation instead of a burning desire and need to be with the Lord. Who among us has not been guilty of being present in body while our heart is somewhere else, secretly wanting to hurry and get done so we can be on our way. Many times people pray only as a last resort when there is nothing else they can do. But the Lord wants us to pray before we do anything else. In fact, he wants us to pray before we do anything at all. And sadly, there are times when that is the last thing in the world we want to do. And quite honestly, at times it is the last thing we do. James 517 is known by most christians and often quoted. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. The Bible tells us that God answers prayer. But why should we expect God to answer prayers offered up only as a last resort? Why should we expect God to be attentive to our hearts that are not fully attentive to him? Why should we expect answers to prayer that are hurriedly and thoughtlessly flung heavenward? Why should we expect God to bless us when we take prayer and the things of God so lightly? Prayer is not an option for the believer and should never be a mindless and routine exercise. The apostle Paul admonished Christians to pray continually, one Thessalonians 517 prayer is our business, our most important business as believers. Isn't it time for us to make prayer more important than we often do?

Music this has been your thought for the day with Steve Burkham, pastor of Community Christian Church in Stockton, California. If you have questions or comments for Pastor Steve, please send them to dailythoughtspodcastmail.com. Have a great day and we hope you'll join us tomorrow as Pastor Steve opens God's word to bring us another thought for the day.