Prayer - Devotion

Devotion is defined as a desired attachment, to give oneself or ones time entirely. This definition is what the Bible asks of us in prayer. 1 Thessalonian 5:17 “Pray without ceasing” Luke 18:1 “And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;” Luke 21:36 “Watch ye therefore, and pray always…”

The Bible is very clear on when to pray, pray always. Prayer is a communication process between our Creator and us. If you have constant communication with someone, you are devoted to that person.

When I joined the US Navy, I quickly learned who my real friends were. They were the ones who would call on occasion to see how I was doing; some even came to visit, even though I was stationed on the opposite side of the nation. The others I no longer speak with, because I let those communication lines die. The devotion wasn’t in the friendship.

Devotion is what modern Christians are missing in prayer, and in our daily walks. We are not devoted in our prayers, and we are not devoted in our relationships with Christ. Too often we water down Christianity. The church is seen as a building we attend on Sunday and maybe Wednesday night. We look at our pastors as a public speaker, like an honest politician or lawyer, like a professor of the Bible. A pastor is a Divinely called man of God, someone held responsible not only for his actions, but for his peoples’. We stroll into the House of God as if it were some sort of common location like a theater, or hall, ready to see this week’s edition.

Devotion comes from the heart and soul of man. If your heart is not in prayer, your soul is not either. If those two parts are not in your prayer, your words are as hollow as you are. It parallels an adolescent boy telling an adolescent girl that he loves her. Meanwhile, prayers from devoted and holy men can change God’s mind. Many times in the Old Testament we hear of God’s anger and how it is diverted by a prayer, on behalf of Israel, made by their prophet. The prophet cries out to God, tears his clothes and throws himself into dirt. He humbles himself and prays.

Devotion is to give oneself entirely. Christ’s life was a perfect example of this. He gave everything He could, so that we, the sinful and undeserving, could attain heaven. The giving of our lives, or devotion, is our way to heaven, through Christ Jesus.