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God has been and continues to be so kind, compassionate, and patient with me, his child. During my first semester as a student at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, TX, I took a class called, "Spiritual Formation for Ministry." It was one of the best classes I have ever taken. Dr. Bruce Leafblad, a good and godly man, was the professor. He was 6'6" tall but a gentle man who loved Jesus and boldly challenged us in our walk with God. At the time, I was praying each day for about 5 minutes a day and justified it by thinking I was so busy. But Dr. Leafblad challenged us and said if we wanted to make an A in his class, then we would need to pray an hour a day. I was like, "What in the world?!" Well, I did it, made my A, and then felt the Holy Spirit ask me a question: "What will you do now?" I knew exactly what He meant. Would I go back to my 5-minute quiet times, or would I keep this new discipline of extended time with Jesus every day? I chose the latter, and it has made all the difference in my life, marriage, family, and ministry.
Here is a powerful and convicting quote from the book, Lead with Prayer: "The great lie for leaders is the illusion of our self-sufficiency. We can act as if we have sufficient intelligence and knowledge to solve the problems we face and lead our families, churches, or organizations in our own strength. But it's hard to be arrogant on our knees, where our hearts are reminded that we are first followers, not leaders." (Source: Skoog, Greer, Doolittle, Lead with Prayer, p. 57)
No one ministers any better than he or she prays. We often view prayer as a last resort after we have exhausted all our intelligence and efforts. But how much better life would be if we prayed first and not last. There are times in the day when I feel almost overwhelmed with the tasks that are before me that I must get done. But I have learned over time that if I will stop and pray and focus on the Scriptures that I read earlier that same day, then wow, something very powerful happens. I am able to accomplish my tasks much quicker because I simply prayed! The math may not add up, but the Lord does miracles when we pray.
We can do many wonderful things after we pray but nothing of eternal significance until we pray. Time spent in prayer is never wasted. It is the most important time of our lives.
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