Being Devoted

            Some years ago, our daughter took tennis lessons through the local summer youth program.  Athletic endeavors don’t come easily to her, so her father, a physical education teacher and coach, devoted himself to helping her improve her skills.  They would regularly go to the tennis court close to our house with a bucket of balls and determined attitudes to do extra work on needed skills.  After regular practice sessions, Bonnie played well enough to be on the tennis team all four years in high school and became one of the better players.

            It is not unusual for people to devote themselves to something or someone.  However, our highest devotion as Christians should be to Jesus Christ and to growing in our faith lives.  Recently, when I turned on a Christian radio station, right away I heard these words:  “Devote yourselves to prayer alert in it with thanksgiving” (Col. 4:2).  The first four words, though simple, are a strong instruction from Paul, setting what should be a priority in our private and public Christian lives.  Synonyms for devote provide more insight:  loyal, faithful, true, steadfast, staunch, and constant.  Clearly, prayer is to be a major component of our regular approach to God with praise, thanksgiving, and petitions.

            The scriptures describe Jesus as a man of prayer.  Sometimes He spent whole nights in prayer as He did the night before He chose His disciples (Luke 6:4).  On the eve of His greatest test-- to yield to God’s plan for Him to die a painful death--Jesus even took a few disciples to join His prayers to avoid temptation.  In addition, He told us not to be showy in prayer but quite the opposite.  In Mathew 6, Jesus describes the need to pray in secret, saying to go into our closets to pray.  But, He promised to reward such prayer openly.  Every time Jesus speaks of prayer, He also speaks of its power, such power to even move mountains or obtain what is viewed as impossible in human terms.  Miracles display God’s compassion and wonderful power, blessing us and proving God’s existence and goodness.

            Consistent times of prayer and study require self-discipline, one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.  Using the word “devotion,” shows us God expects faithful Christians to make serious commitments to be people of prayer and a church of prayer.  In these times, perhaps more than ever, we need the wisdom God will supply to navigate our lives, to discern truth, and to pray effectively.  Let us rise to the occasion and “be devoted to prayer” as Paul asks.