We often will find ourselves in a quandary because of our perceived lack of time. Our schedules are so busy that we barely have time to eat. Even meals have been reduced to “instant breakfast” or “minute rice.” I’ve had the opportunity to live in Europe several times. One of the biggest cultural hurdles to jump was getting used to “European time.” This has nothing to do with time zones, but at the pace at which things are done. Meals in particular are an event. When you sit for a meal, the table is yours for as long as you want. No servers trying to shoo you off. Here in the U.S., we often try to shove two hours' worth of work into one. There is a priority on maximizing your work output. Japan is particularly notorious for this work ethos. But as the old saying goes, nobody puts on their tombstone “I wish I had spent more time at work.” For as busy as we all can be, and fall back on to “I’m too busy,” what is true is that we always find time for the things that we want to do. We make it a priority. Nothing could be truer than when it comes to our prayer life. When we stop and think about the incredible blessing of being able to go to God, the creator of the universe, with every prayer and supplication, how could we not make that a priority? This is certainly acknowledged in Scripture in this verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:17…”pray continually.” Through Christ we have a direct line. And he tells us to bring all things to him in prayer. In this world of so many things demanding our time and attention, there is nothing more important than prayer. Make time to take time to pray.
