Greatest Need

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent an economist. But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior.

Christmas cards. Punctuated promises. Phrases filled with the reason we do it all anyway.

He became like us, so we could become like him.
Angels still sing and the star still beckons.
He loves each one of us like there was only one of us to love.
~~Max Lucado When God Whispers Your Name

Thoughts

Matthew 26:41
Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” (New Living Translation).

My devotion this morning centered around this verse and to be honest, I didn't think it was going to be a very good devotion -- or at least be what I needed today. I've heard this verse many times and this morning, it just wasn't speaking to me. But as I read on in the devotion, here are the words I read:

John Bunyan wrote, "Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan."

How many of us have left our cell phone charger in a hotel somewhere or at the home of relatives? Without constant charging, the battery grows weak and the signal dies out. The same is true for our spiritual connection. It's great to be willing in spirit, but we have to remain "charged up" through the discipline of watchfulness and prayer.

Watching means we don't let ourselves drift into sin. Often when we're tired or we've worked for a long stretch without a break, we're more vulnerable to evil thoughts or inappropriate reactions. We should know ourselves well enough to think ahead and avoid unhealthy responses.

Praying means we have definite patterns and plans every day to talk with our Father without hurry or rush, and that we obey every impulse to pray throughout the day.

It's great when the spirit is willing, but the flesh requires the disciplines of watching and praying.

Always respond to every impulse to pray . . . . I would make an absolute law of this--always obey such an impulse. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

We're all busy, right? We work, we have fun, we find time for friends, shopping, reading, knitting, blogging, email, facebook, myspace, or whatever it is on the internet that takes all our time, but setting aside time daily not only to read His word, but to pray keeps a healthy connection which may enable me to respond instead of react. I don't know about you, but I find myself sending up bullet prayers all day long whether they're requests or praises and although God likes to have a quick conversation, I'm sure he would prefer for me to actually carve out some time regularly to show him what is important to me -- even if it means sacrificing something else I enjoy. Do any of you struggle with this? Any suggestions? Guess I have some thinking to do.