The Primacy of Prayer (4)

So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90.12

Prayer as a journey
Praying always and without losing heart is like a journey. When you get up in the morning, the journey begins. It continues throughout all the activities, duties, and responsibilities of the day, and comes to an end as you lie down to sleep at night.

Setting hours for prayer during the day can create a forward momentum for your day’s journey with the Lord. It’s a bit like planning where to stop for a meal as you travel. Whenever Susie and I have driven anywhere that takes a whole day, we’re careful to know where we’re going to stop to eat and refresh along the way. We may not write out a trip plan, but we agree together that we’ll go so far in the morning, then stop for lunch, and go so far before again getting some dinner. After that, we’ll probably go a bit farther before stopping for the evening.

But we don’t just jump into the car and head out – not without some careful forethought about the trip ahead.

When you see each day as a journey with the Lord, part of your time, first thing in the day, will be involved in getting on the same page with Him concerning the trip ahead.

Number your day
This is what Moses had in mind in Psalm 90 when he sought the Lord in prayer to assist him in numbering his days. That phrase means something like “to know truly and uprightly,” and it carries the sense of getting the mind of God concerning the day ahead. Moses wanted to get on top of his day before the day rushed in upon him. During your morning time of prayer, therefore, it’s a good idea to work through the day ahead with the Lord, itemizing the details of your trip, setting up your appointments for prayer, and seeking His counsel, advice, and will for the day.

Your day will be filled up with various kinds of work – not just the work you do at your job, but all the work which fills up your personal calling from the Lord. In Psalm 90.16 and 17, Moses sought the Lord to show him the work that lay ahead, and to establish that work for him. He acknowledged that the work before him was God’s work (v. 16), and that it held the potential to reveal the glory of God to those around him, beginning with his children. He prayed that God would establish or set right that work, and then repeated that petition, as if he knew he would not realize the purpose of God for his work unless the Lord was with him in it.

You’re probably going to need a more extended time of prayer in the morning if you’re going to include numbering the trip of that day in conversation with the Lord. But think of the advantages of doing so, and how these can help you realize the goal of praying always and without losing heart.

Set to travel
If you begin your day in prayer, enumerating all the activities ahead of you for the day, waiting on the Lord to give you His wisdom and guidance for each activity, then offering those activities to the Lord as a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, you will find it very likely that, as you take up each of those aspects of the work you’ve been given to do, your mind will recall your time with Lord, in which you devoted these details of your daily trip to Him. Then you can continue your journey in prayer. You’ll always have something to talk about with the Lord in your appointments for prayer if you simply touch base with Him about the plan you established at the beginning of the day.

As you take up each task – meetings, chores, deliveries, shopping, projects, and the like – treat them as the offerings you committed them to be. Offer a brief prayer to the Lord as you begin each one: “Not my will, Lord, but Yours…” Or “Grant me grace to glorify You, Lord.” Or “Lord, strengthen me for this work, and help me to do it as unto You, and not merely as unto people.” As you progress through each task, don’t hesitate to offer a simple “Thank You, Lord” for each stage of the process. When the task is completed, and before you turn to the next stage of your daily journey, pause for a few moments of silent reflection. Turn your mind to the Lord. Be still, know His presence, and listen for His “Well done!” or other word, whether of correction, conviction, or commendation.

Do you think taking up your daily duties in this manner will affect your attitude toward your work? Do you think you might do your work more conscientiously? With greater joy and focus? Even with greater aplomb and effectiveness? And do you suppose doing your work like this might actually allow you to express the hope that is within you? The hope that God might be glorified in your work?

And when this begins to happen – and it will happen – your children and others around you may be so piqued and curious, that they might actually ask you a reason for what they are observing (1 Pet. 3.15).

Our days don’t have to be a soul-grinding, forced march over difficult and disagreeable terrain, filled with distasteful tasks. They can be an offering to the Lord resulting in Him being glorified, and us entering that glory for joy and pleasure in Him (cf. Ps. 84).

So number your days in prayer at the beginning, and review and work your plan throughout the day in prayer. You’ll be praying without ceasing before you know it, and delighting to know the presence of the Lord with you always.

For reflection
1.  If you think about your day as a trip, how do you gauge progress in your journey?

2.  Do you expect to glorify God in all the work of your day? How can “numbering” your day in prayer help you to live more toward that outcome throughout the day?

3.  Many people know that J. S. Bach, when he finished a composition, wrote the letters SDG at the end – soli deo gloria, to God be the glory. What most don’t know is that, at the beginning of each composition, before he started writing, he wrote the letters JJ – Jesu juve, Jesus, help! Apply this practice to your daily trip with the Lord.

Next steps – Transformation: How will your morning time of prayer need to change to include the approach suggested in Psalm 90.12, 16, 17?

T. M. Moore
Each of our “next steps” exercises is tied into goals and disciplines involved in working your Personal Mission Field. If you have not yet identified your Personal Mission Field, watch the brief video showing you how to get started right away (click here).

We’re happy to provide ReVision each day at no charge, together with a PDF download of each week’s study. God provides the needs of this ministry through the prayers and gifts of those who believe in our work and benefit from it. Please seek the Lord in prayer, and wait on Him concerning whether you should share in the support of The Fellowship of Ailbe with your gifts. You can donate online with a credit card or through PayPal by clicking the Contribute button here or at the website. Or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.