I was asked to write a blog article on “3 Healthy Habits for a Healthy Praying Life” and as I thought about it, I decided to emphasize just one healthy habit. The one healthy habit that I long for ALL believers to establish for themselves is a daily prayer time with our Lord.

Unfortunately, it’s rare to find a believer who has a consistent prayer time. I’m not talking about saying grace before a meal or saying quick prayers when you’re stressed out. I think those kinds of engagements with the Lord are more common amongst Christians but what I’m referring to is a specific time set aside each day to talk with the Father.

Now you might be thinking, “Do I really need a daily time to talk with the Lord? Isn’t the blessing of faith in Jesus the fact that I can talk with God anytime and anywhere?” Well, yes, that’s true. Jesus has certainly brought us into the continual presence of God through His Spirit that dwells within us. However, his presence in us doesn’t create an immediate intimate communion with him and knowing of him.

Paul Miller opens chapter 5 of his book, A Praying Life, writing this, “You’d think if Jesus was the Son of God, he wouldn’t need to pray. Or at least he wouldn’t need a specific prayer time because he’d be in such a constant state of prayer. You’d expect him to have a direct line to his heavenly Father, like broadband to heaven. At the least, you’d think Jesus could do a better job of tuning out the noise of the world. But surprisingly, Jesus seemed to need time with God just as much as we do.”

When I first read that chapter years ago, it completely tweaked my understanding of my relationship with God. I thought exactly what Paul Miller had written. I thought Jesus was in constant communion with the Father (which he was), but I didn’t make the connection that in his humanity, his intimate communion with the Father was facilitated by the very human practice of one-on-one time with the Father. Intimacy with God didn’t just happen for Jesus. (Throughout the Gospels, we read that Jesus regularly spends time alone with the Father - Matt 14:23, Mark 1:35, 6:46, Luke 4:42, 6:12, 11:1, 22:39:40).

Jesus spent time alone with the Father because all significant relationships require undivided attention and time together if intimacy is to grow. And so, if Jesus made space for his relationship with the Father, we also need to do the same. There’s more to say about this but for now I pray you’ll begin the practice of having a specific prayer time with the Lord. It’s the primary habit that must be established in order have a healthy praying life.

1. A Packed Schedule

I pray more when I have margins in my schedule. This is a no brainer but for some reason I keep going in circles when it comes to this hinderance to prayer. I think the reason is because I enjoy being needed and getting things done. If there’s something good that needs to get done and I can do it, I think to myself, “Why not do it?” If I can help my kids out, ease my wife’s hectic schedule, save some money and fix something on my own or spend some time with a discouraged friend, then why not do it? But prayer is born out of facing all the things we can’t do in life. We turn and cry out to the Lord because we can’t do something or we don’t know how to do something. But a busy life is usually busy because we are invested in what we can do. So when I’m consumed with what I can do, then I have less time to sit and think about the many things that are beyond my control but not beyond Christ’s love in me. But when I have time to sit and face the things beyond my control but not beyond the Spirit’s love in me, that’s when I start to pray.

2. An Unstressed Life

I pray when I’m in need. I cry out to the Father when a dear friend is diagnosed with cancer or with some illness that I’ve never heard of before. I plead with Jesus when a dad or mom has been laid off of work and they have children to care for, rent to pay and now a new job to find. I come before the Spirit when I’m stuck in conflict and yet I’m longing to respond with the humility and love of Jesus. I intercede before the Lord for friends when they are holding on to the truth that they are new creations in Christ, while at the same time fighting their old nature that’s betraying their sainthood. I pray when I or others are in need. But when life is not stressful, when family relationships are at peace, when friends are doing well, when my business plan is rolling out “as planned”, when I’m not sick, when the people I interact with are pleasant and respectful… that’s when I pray less.

3. A Conflicted Heart

Prayer is personal and intimate conversation with the Lord. It’s open and unhindered communication with one who knows us better than we know ourselves. So, if I am doing something or desire to do something I know is contrary to the Lord’s character, or if I am dwelling on things I know are not pleasing to Him… well, I’m not going to want to talk with Him. We experience this relational dynamic almost every day in our family, friends and work relationships. If you’ve failed to meet a deadline at work, you’re not going to want to go out to lunch with your supervisor. If you’ve cheated on a test or turned in copied homework, then you’re not going to stick around after class and chat with your professor. If you’ve chosen not to listen to your parent or ignored your spouse’s request, then you’re not going to initiate conversation with them. The same is true with the Lord. Your prayer life won’t move forward until you’ve faced the conflict you know is between you and the Lord.

by Dan Christian

From the beginning, God has ordained rest as a necessary and significant part of His creation. God’s rest on the seventh day of creation was not because He was worn out, but in order to establish a pattern of work and rest for His created beings (Genesis 2:1-3). Part of God’s good design for human beings—before the fall into sin—is that we require daily sleep. To be a creature rather than the Creator, a finite being rather than the infinite God, means that we are bound by certain limits. We cannot live without air or food or water…or rest.

Because of sin, our human need for rest is not merely a physical limit of our finite bodies; rather, it has also become a deep need of our souls. Thus, Jesus gives us a compelling invitation: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29) Our souls need rest, a rest that only God can provide. 

God calls us to enter His rest through faith and obedience (see Hebrews 4:9-11). That can happen in part here and now, but will only happen fully when we are taken out of this sin-sick world and brought into our eternal rest in the very presence of our God. And so even as we strive to learn godly rhythms of work and rest in the midst of our labors here on earth, we long for that fullness of rest in Christ that will be ours someday. 

One helpful rhythm of work and rest that we have been granted as full-time pastors at Evergreen SGV is the opportunity to take a 3-month sabbatical every fifth year of our employment. The stated purpose for these sabbaticals (according to our staff policy manual) is: 1) Rest and relaxation from the rigors of ministry, 2) Spiritual renewal and replenishment, 3) Growth in specific areas of life and ministry, and 4) Time to visit and learn from other churches and ministries. 

We recognize that we as pastors are better equipped and able to serve and shepherd this church family when we are experiencing rest for our souls in Christ. Granted, much of that rest can—and does—come through daily, weekly, and yearly rhythms of rest and retreat, individually and in community. Yet there is a different level of rest that can only come through pulling away entirely from our regular responsibilities for an extended time—that is what a sabbatical provides.

I was due for a sabbatical last year, but initially decided to postpone it because of all the transition happening in our church, and then the pandemic shutdowns further complicated those plans. So I have finally been able to schedule my sabbatical for this summer—it will be starting on May 9th and continuing through August 7th. I am so grateful for the generosity of our church to grant this kind of restful space for me!

As I enter in to this sabbatical time, would you please pray for me?

• Please pray that I could truly rest and be refreshed, and that God would invigorate my soul for this next season of ministry ahead.

• Please pray for my family—it is not just me that is exhausted, but my whole family is very weary also. The constant demand of caring for our daughter with special needs takes its toll, and with this past year+ of pandemic quarantines, that toll has climbed exponentially. There is no sabbatical from family pressures—pray for strength and grace day by day.

• Please pray that our daughter could return to the various places where she receives care and services (which have been unavailable during the pandemic), and that she would not continue to regress.

• Please pray that God would give me vision and direction for the new areas of ministry that I will be overseeing: biblical counseling, young adults, retreats and conferences, and baptism/Communion.

In order to facilitate this time of rest, you will most likely not be seeing me on Sunday mornings or hearing from me in various communications for the next three months. But please know that I will be praying for you during this time, and I will look forward to entering back in to this joyous work of shepherding souls, to which God has called me. Until then, it is time to rest.

by Kenny Wada

When I was in high school, by God's abundant mercy, he opened my eyes to see that Jesus gave his life for me so that I might live with him and for him (2 Corinthians 5:15).  He allowed me to see that the Creator and sustainer of all things was inviting me, one out of billions of people, to repent, believe in him, love him and fully enjoy him.  This revelation was unbelievable to me.

Today, I still find it hard to FULLY embrace this truth that in Christ, God desires to know me AND make himself known to me.  And it's not only because I think I'm not that important, but it's also because of other beliefs and attitudes I have that Paul Miller unearthed through his book, A Praying Life. 

The book, A Praying Life, is not just a book about how to pray, but about what life looks like in relationship with God.  It's about relating to a heavenly Father in a secure, free and child-like manner that's unhindered by distrust or self-importance. 

I think one of the endorsers says it best when he (Scotty Smith) writes, "With childlike wonder, sage-like wisdom, and heartfelt candor, Paul shows us that to pray is to see Jesus more clearly and meet him more regularly in every single aspect and moment of the day." 

So if you long to experience a real and working relationship with God, check out Paul Miller's book,A Praying Life.You can also join us as we go through his book for 10 weeks on Tuesday nights from 8pm to 9pm starting on February 23rd. Register here.

by Victor Chen

The reason why New Year’s resolutions often fail is that they fail to address the deeper issues of the heart. Outward behavior cannot be sustained if change isn’t happening below the surface. 

We want to put the Lord first in all things, but find ourselves constantly putting other things ahead of Him.

What can we do?

One way to address internal issues of the heart is to replace one action tied to a desire with another action tied to our desire for the Lord. It would be like a treasure swap. 

For instance, many of us derive comfort from eating and would like to change that. The next time we desire comfort and reach for food, try reaching for the Lord in prayer, meditating on a verse and allowing Him to be our nourishment. 

Another example is how we try to escape from the rigors of life by vegging on the couch and binge-watching. We are concerned about our screen time intake. The next time we want to escape, try escaping to spend time with God by journaling, writing out your prayers or sketching out the beauties of His creation outdoors.

Finally, we often start our day checking in on messages, emails and social media. We’re concerned why we’re frazzled and overwhelmed all the time. The next time we roll out of bed, try reaching for God’s Word and start the morning reading a Psalm as a prayer to begin your day with the Lord. 

As Christians in the world, we are constantly caught in a battle of desires — what we want versus what the Lord wants. It is good to resolve to desire the Lord first in all things. 

How we go about that means swapping the lesser treasure for the greatest.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV)