Do you ever find yourself bored with your prayer life? In his book, Praying the Bible, Donald Whitney, Professor of Biblical Spirituality and Associate Dean at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, poses the question, “Why don’t Christians pray more?” He gives the startling answer that we don’t pray more because we tend to pray the same old way about the same old things, day after day, and prayer becomes boring! So, what does Professor Whitney recommend to infuse life into our time with God?

Also, do you ever feel like God teaches you something, you respond in obedience, and then, almost immediately, God gives you another opportunity to be tested in the same area? Perhaps you wonder, “Why am I here again?”

Today’s Readings:

1 Samuel 24 & 25
Psalm 60.1-5
Proverbs 16.3
John 1.29-51

Do You Ever Find Your Prayer Life Boring?

Psalm 60.1-5:

One Answer for a Boring Prayer Life

In his book, Praying the Bible, Donald Whitney poses the question, “Why don’t Christians pray more?” He gives the startling answer that we don’t pray more because we tend to pray the same old way about the same old things, day after day, and prayer becomes boring!

Praying from the Psalms

1 Samuel 24 & 25:

David’s Test

David was still on the run from Saul and he had been hiding in a cave when Saul came into the cave to relieve himself. It seemed too good to be true! Had God delivered him into David’s hands? His men thought so.

But David recognized it as a test. If he had killed Saul he would have been taking matters into his own hands instead of waiting on God. David responded rightly and Saul, convicted by David’s righteousness, went back home. Good job, David, now everything should be smooth sailing from here on, right?

Instead, God gave David another opportunity to practice waiting on God’s timing and trust Him.

Another Opportunity

David and his men, in their coming and going through the less inhabited regions, had watched over and protected other men, in this case, some shepherds who worked for a man named Nabal.

When it was time for the sheep shearing, Nabal and his men were celebrating and enjoying the rewards of their labor. David sent some of his men to ask if they would provide them with some provisions.

Nabal, whose name means “fool,” lived up to his name. He selfishly and pridefully, not only refused but insulted David and David was hot! With a who-does-this-guy-think-he-is attitude, David mounted up with his men and headed to their camp to wipe them out.

But God sent Nabal’s wife, Abigail, to intervene and David recognized the truth of what she told him. God in his mercy had provided the way of escape (1 Cor. 10.13). David listened and changed his mind. I believe that is why God called David a man after his own heart, not because he never blew it, but because when God called his hand, he repented and did what was right. And, as I said, this was another opportunity for David to wait on God and trust Him to avenge any wrong done.

God’s Homework

Do you ever feel like God does the same to you? Does He give you repeated opportunities to respond with patience or trust or to overcome evil with good or to develop some other godly character quality (Rom. 12.14-21)?

Perhaps the reason is the same one that causes a teacher to give homework to solidify what she taught in class. While her students may understand a concept, without practice, it won’t become a lasting skill.

So, how do you respond when you seem to deal with the same temptation over and over? How do I? How do we respond when someone points out a poor response? Do we respond with defensiveness, avoidance, and selfish pride? Or do we respond with humility and genuine repentance? Perhaps, if we responded more like David, we’d have fewer opportunities to repeat the lesson!

Commit It to the Lord

Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established.

The word “commit” speaks of total trust and submission to the Lord. When we’re relying on ourselves, especially in a difficult situation, we often fret and worry, and second-guess our decisions. But when we give them to Him, totally and completely, and trust that He is working and giving us wisdom, our thoughts will be established and we’ll be at peace.

John 1.29-51:

You’ve Got to Be Kidding!

I love this passage where Jesus is gathering some of the disciples to Him. We see their humanness, especially with Nathanael when he is first told to come and meet Jesus of Nazareth. He responds by saying, in effect, “You’ve got to be kidding! Are you telling me some guy from Nazareth is the One Moses prophesied about? ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?'” (v. 46).

But, thankfully for most of us, God often uses the least likely people. That way He receives the glory and we grow as we learn to depend on Him.

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about how we sometimes do the Christian two-step (one step forward, two steps back). We’ll, also, look at so-called white magic, what it means to resist the devil, what to do when you’re at your wit’s end, and how to respond to imperfect authority.

I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out our YouTube channel.

If you would like to receive a FREE downloadable and printable Bible study through the book of Mark, you can click here for more information.

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.