We continue our reading of Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian Life together this week by turning our time and attention to the topic of Prayer. If you’d like to know more about what we’re doing, you can read about it here: Will You Read Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian Life With Me? Last week, we discussed five different ways we need to be engaging with God’s Word. In that post, we discovered that meditation on Scripture is the secret ingredient to a vibrant walk with Christ.

We also learned that there is a danger lurking in the waters in which we’re swimming. The Spiritual Disciplines can become entanglements that quickly drown us. While water is a necessity, too much of it isn’t a good thing. At every turn we must keep the goal of godliness before us! In short, we must beware of activity for it’s own sake.

Summary

Prayer is on one hand the simplest of disciplines and on the other the most neglected. That wouldn’t be a sobering reality if prayer wasn’t also vitally important to our spiritual growth and health. “Prayer,” Whitney said, “is second only to the intake of God’s Word in importance.”

Again, again and again we see Jesus withdrawing to pray in the gospels. He gets away from the crowd, and busyness of life to spend time with His Father. A large measure of His effectiveness no doubt derived from this simple habit of communing with The Father.

The same is expected of us. “In every season,” Whitney said, “God expects every Christian to be devoted to prayer and to pray without ceasing.” If all we had was the example of Christ, it would be enough to drive us to prayer, but it’s not all we have. Scripture makes it clear that prayer is expected of us. Jesus’ words present a straightforward call to prayer. Verse after verse contains a phrase such as “And when you pray…” or “But when you pray..” In addition to the words of Christ, it is the explicit expression of God from the rest of Scripture that we are to pray.

“God expects us to use the walkie-talkie of prayer,” Whitney said, “because that is the means He has ordained not only for godliness, but also for the spiritual warfare between His kingdom and the kingdom of His enemy. To abandon prayer is to fight the battle with our own resources at best, and to lose interest in the battle at worst.”

Prayer is the method of our talking with God. We don’t have another means through which we can communicate with Him. If you would talk to God, you must pick up the metaphorical walkie-talkie and speak.

Stuff gets in the way of our prayer life however. Sometimes it’s busyness, others it’s a lack of discipline but mostly it’s a lack of trust. “Often we do not pray,” Whitney said, “because we doubt that anything will actually happen if we pray.” This lack of trust persists despite God’s promise to answer every single word we send His way through prayer.

“Ask and your shall receive; everyone that asks, receives.” Andrew Murray said, “This is the fixed eternal law of the kingdom: if you ask and receive not, it must be because there is something amiss or wanting in the prayer.” There is not a prayer of yours that has not found an answer from the mouth of God. You may be unaware of His reply, or it’s timing may be different from yours, but make no mistake an answer has been given.

“He does not lead us to pray in order to frustrate us,” Whitney said, “by slamming Heaven’s door in our face.” God’s call to prayer is for our good. He is like a daddy setting his child upon his knee and asking them to tell all about their day.

Prayer is a learned thing. Perseverance, consistency and The Spirit’s help are required to grow in prayer. You learn to pray by praying, but there is one resource that will aide you in your journey. Last week, we saw that meditation was the secret to a vibrant walk through God’s word. This week, we discover that it is also the link between Bible intake and prayer.

“There should be a smooth almost unnoticeable transition,” Whitney said, “between Scripture input and prayer output so that we move even closer to God in those moments.” Meditation is meant to be the bridge that helps us navigate that transition easily. It takes what we’ve read in God’s Word, drives it into our hearts and then turn to God about it. “We enlivened by meditation, prayer,” Whitney said, “becomes more like a real conversation with a real person—which is exactly what prayer is.”

The overarching principle of this chapter this: “Would you be like Christ? Then do as He did—discipline yourself to be a person of prayer.” What does our prayer life look like? Are we devoting ourselves to prayer? Are we letting our meditation on God’s Word drive us to our knees in prayer and worship? Prayer is fueled by meditation on Scripture. Make meditation and prayer part of your daily devotions. Read less if you have to in order to create more time for meditation and prayer.

Reflection

I was disappointed following my first reading of this chapter. I found it lacking, although I couldn’t quite put my finger on what. Perhaps I was looking for something that would radically transform my prayer life. I came to the page in search of a thought, idea or method that would open the door to growth in this area. I’ve found my prayer life dull, repetitive and lacking in fruit for years. And I hate that. I want a deep, rich, fulfilling prayer life.

In search of some nugget or prayer hack I completely missed the point Whitney was making. I don’t need new tips and tricks, I need more of Christ. And I find more of Christ through meditation upon His Word. “What is the reason that our desires like an arrow shot by a weak bow do not reach the mark?” William Bates said, “But only this, we do not meditate before prayer...The great reason why our prayers are ineffectual, is because we do not meditate before them.”

The great failure of my pursuit of Christ is here laid bare. I have long neglected to meditate upon The Word. I’m learning page by page that neglecting this one area of the Spiritual Disciplines leaves a gaping hole in the middle of my journey towards Christlikeness.

Next Week

We will continue with the next chapter (chapter five) of the book next Sunday. Chapter five may sound like we’re in the middle of this series, but we’ve only just begun. There remains plenty of time to get the book and join in.

Your Turn

I’d like to hear what stood out to you in this week's chapter. Please feel free to post your reflections, and thoughts in the comment section below. If you have shared your thoughts on your own blog, please link to it as well. Do not feel the need to be profound or to share something new. Simply share what caught your eye, or stirred your heart as you read.

We kick off our reading of Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian Life together this week by turning our time and attention to the topic of Bible Intake. If you’d like to know more about what we’re doing, you can read about it here: Will You Read Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian Life With Me? Two weeks ago, I introduced the topic of Spiritual Disciplines and shared some of my history with them briefly. In that post, we discovered that Spiritual Disciplines are practices found in God’s word that help cultivate Christlike joy and character within us. We also saw that God uses people, events, and discipline to change us; the latter being the only one we have control over.

There is a danger in this stuff. We must remember that we are to engage in the Spiritual Disciplines out of delight, not duty. Otherwise, they can become a burden that weighs us down or shackles that bind our limbs. At every turn, we must keep the goal of Christlikeness fixed before us! In short, we must beware of drudgery.

Summary

Bible intake is about more than reading it. It is a wheel with many spokes, which include hearing, reading, studying, memorizing and meditating. Each of these sub disciplines works in tandem with the others to move the believer into closer intimacy with God. Let me explain.

Hearing - This is the easiest of the disciplines related to the intake of God’s Word. It requires the least effort of us, but delivers something far greater—God’s word faithfully preached. “Disciplining ourselves to hear God’s word,” Whitney said, “means primarily developing the practice of steadfastly attending a Bible-believing church where the Word of God is faithfully preached.” There are additional methods to hearing God’s word, which can include everything from reading it aloud to listening to the radio or a podcast. The important principle to walk away with is a commitment to hearing God’s Word.

Reading - Jesus expected those claiming to be the people of God would have read the Word of God. We see it over and over again throughout the gospels. Sadly, studies have shown only 18% of Christians read the Bible daily. “If you want to be changed, if you want to become more like Jesus Christ,” Whitney said, “discipline yourself to read the Bible.” Schedule ten minutes at the start of your day to read through a passage or even a single verse of Scripture. Start filling your mind with it daily. “God promises that those who read and heed His Word will be blessed.” Whitney said, “But only those who discipline themselves to do so will receive those blessings” Remember that our goal is Christlikeness however, many a man—myself included— has turned this life giving practice into one of toil and strife. Be on guard, and fix your end in mind each time you open your Bible.

Studying - The discipline of studying God’s Word, “takes you beneath the surface of Scripture,” Whitney said, “for an unhurried look of clarity and detail that’s normally missed by those who simply read the text.” This is my favorite discipline, I must confess. While I enjoy reading through God’s Word each day, I love slowing down to chew on it even more. To study Scripture is to immerse yourself in a single passage, idea or book for a period of time, that you might glean a deeper understanding of it. Don’t be intimidated to start. A pen and paper are all you need. Write down what stands out to you as your read, and questions you have. There are a million resources to help you study God’s Word in-depth. “Don’t settle only for spiritual food,” Whitney said, “that’s been ‘predigested’ by others.”

Memorizing - Hearing, reading and studying God’s Word is great, but they aren’t usually sufficient for remembering what you’ve learned. For that, you’ll need to apply yourself to memorizing God’s Word. This is where all the spokes on the Bible Intake wheel, start coming together. Memorizing Scripture, helps you not only remember what you’ve read but have access to it at just the right moment. “When Scripture is stored in your mind,” Whitney said, “ it is available for the Holy Spirit to bring to your attention when you need it most.” The Spirit can’t call it to mind in your time of need if you haven’t memorized it. This is your best tool in the fight against temptation. Memorizing God’s Word also strengthens our faith, by reminding us of truth and gives us words of encouragement to share with others. “Until the verses are hidden in the heart,” Whitney said, “they aren’t available to use with the mouth.”

Meditating - “Let’s define meditation,” Whitney said, “as deep thinking on the truths and spiritual realities revealed in Scripture, or upon life from a spiritual perspective, for the purposes of understanding, application and prayer.” I hadn’t given much thought to the discipline of meditation prior to reading this chapter for the first time. I engaged in many of the meditation practices Whitney mentions without realizing it. This chapter challenged me to start intentionally letting God’s Word brew in my brain. The practice of meditation found in Scripture isn’t an emptying of the mind, but a filling of the mind with truth. “Hearing and reading the Bible is the exposure to Scripture—that’s needful, but it’s only the starting place.” Whitney said, “After the exposure to Scripture we need to absorb it. Meditation is the absorption of Scripture. And it’s the absorption of Scripture that leads to the experience of God and the transformation of life we long for when we come to the Bible.”

The overriding principle of these two chapters is this: “If you want to be changed, if you want to become more like Jesus Christ, discipline yourself to read the Bible.” Are we disciplined in the ways we seek God’s Word? Do we use these five spokes to fill our hearts and minds with the very words of God? Becoming a doer of the Word comes through meditation upon it. The general rule, then, in your personal, daily intake of Scripture is to both read and meditate.

Reflection

I’ve read and listened to many talks on the topic Bible intake. Few have reached my heart in as convicting and convincing a fashion as these two chapters from Whitney. Being shaped and changed by God’s Word is a far more active endeavor on our part than is usually encouraged. It seems most Christians barely drink at the well of reading the Bible, let alone investing the energy and time it takes to actively engage with it. I’ve been guilty of this myself at times—no one escapes failure in this regard.

Whitney says that growth in Godliness starts with the disciplined intake of Scripture. It is the lifeblood that runs through all other Spiritual Disciplines. If we would grow in Godliness, we need to apply ourselves to this task. Let me then leave you with the words of John Blanchard:

“Surely we only have to be realistic and honest with ourselves to know how regularly we need to turn to the Bible. How often do we face problems, temptation, and pressure? Every day! Then how often do we need instruction, guidance and greater encouragement? Every day! To catch all these felt needs up into an even greater issue, how often do we need to see God’s face, hear his voice, feel his touch, know his power? The answer to all these questions is the same: every day! As the American evangelist D.L. Moody put it, “A man can no more take in a supply of grace for the future than he can eat enough for the next six months, or take sufficient air into his lungs at one time to sustain life for a week. We must draw upon God’s boundless store of grace from day to day as we need it.”

Next Week

We will continue with the next chapter (chapter four) of the book next Sunday. We have only begun, so there is plenty of time to get the book and join in.

Your Turn

I’d like to hear what stood out to you in these two chapters. Please feel free to post your reflections, and thoughts in the comment section below. If you have shared your thoughts on your own blog, please link to it as well. Do not feel the need to be profound or to share something new. Share what caught your eye, or stirred your heart as you read.