Are You Devoted?

Are You Devoted?
written by Chris Baker

What does it mean to be “devoted” to something? According to the Oxford dictionary, the Latin origin is to “formally vow.” It means you are committed, dedicated, attentive, loyal and faithful. Those are some strong descriptors! The Apostle Paul has this in mind when he encourages us to be “devoted” to prayer! Today’s passage spoke volumes to me and served as such a gentle conviction over my own prayer life. Take a moment and read Colossians 4:2-6 by clicking here.

What does your current prayer life look like? What is the importance or point of prayer anyway? Depending on your culture and background, the practice of prayer may look different to you. The main point of prayer is to have communion with God. Just like conversation between two spouses is crucial for building intimacy, the same is true of prayer. Prayer builds intimacy with God. You will begin to recognize His voice as you spend time listening to Him. Many times, God will speak to you through Scripture. There may be a particular passage that He leads you to that perfectly applies to your current situation. While some have heard the audible voice of God, this is not a common occurrence for most people. Most often, God’s voice will sound much like our own voice. For example, have you ever thought about something and talked out the scenario in your mind? You know how your own inner voice sounds as you have that silent discussion with yourself. This is how the voice of God often sounds. When the Lord speaks it may sound like your own voice in your mind. If that is true, then how does one differentiate between their own thoughts and the voice of God? That is where the importance of Scripture comes in. 

God will never say anything contrary to His written Word. For a silly example, if you think the Lord is telling you to steal another person’s phone because they have a nicer one than you, you would be wrong. Why? The Word clearly says do not steal and do not covet. It would be contrary to Scripture for God to tell you to steal someone else’s phone because they have a more attractive one than yours. 

My point is this: always check what you think you’re hearing from God against His Scripture. He is consistent and would not tell you to do anything contrary in His Word. I could very easily spend the rest of this post discussing how to hear the voice of God. Perhaps, that will be a later discussion. For now, let’s focus on what it looks like to have a devoted prayer life. 

This communion with God does not happen naturally.  It will require you to make time for prayer! We need to be dedicated, committed, loyal and faithful in prayer. Yes, it is true that we can pray at any time and at any place. The Apostle Paul even says to pray without stopping. Meaning, we can be praying through each and every part of our day. However, it is also recommended to carve out a specific time for prayer each day. This is an uninterrupted time that is set aside for God. This is a time that you are purposefully and meaningfully pulling away from your day to spend time with Him. Before you say you don’t have time, Susanna Wesley, who was the mother of John and Charles Wesley, found daily time to pray while homeschooling 10 children (9 died during infancy). If they saw their mother sitting on the chair with an apron over her head, they knew not to bother her, she was praying. 

When do you set aside time for prayer? Is it in the early hours of the morning or late at night? Do you have a special place in your home that you pray? Do you prefer to pray in nature or during your commute to work? How much time do you spend with God? Do you spend time listening to God or do you just read off your laundry list of requests to Him? Jesus spent a significant amount of time in prayer. He would often pull away from His disciples to pray in solitude. Jesus would often go out early in the morning to be alone with God. Jesus spent time in prayer before He made significant decisions, such as choosing the 12 disciples. He agonized in prayer hours before He was to be arrested, beaten and killed on the cross. If you study the Gospels you will see the vibrant prayer life that Jesus modeled for us. 

How serious do you want to take your prayer life? How determined are you to commune with the living God? How attentive do you want to be in prayer? Do you desire words like committed, faithful, loyal and dedicated to describe your prayer life? We will continue to answer these questions over the next couple of days. Stay tuned this week as we continue to discuss the remainder of this verse Colossians 4:2.

Please click here, to learn more about beginning a relationship with Jesus.

In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.

Hebrews 5:7

After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.

Matthew 14:23

After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray.

Mark 6:46

It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

Luke 6:12

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.

Mark 1:35

But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

Luke 5:16

Therefore He [Jesus] is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Hebrews 7:25