Running on Prayer: Part One (Preparation)

When I first started running again after several years, it was nothing short of hard and painful work.  It is still hard and I am not very good at it, but I really like running.  It is a struggle for me to get in shape to the point that I can run easily and I have been trying with slow success for over a year now. 

There is just something about running that I love.  The more I run the more I want to run.  I even charted out a path to run around the yard.  I call it my “Cross-country Course.”  In June I ran in a 5k race with my son Samuel, as well as a niece and nephew, Promise and Russell.  I celebrated seeing Russell come in first place in his age division.  (I have NEVER placed in my age division in ANY of those darn races, but that is a personal agenda that I try to keep to myself!) 

Funny how that works--the more I am able to run the easier it becomes.  I’m not very good, but I still like to get out and run for the enjoyment and pleasure I receive from it.

What I have experienced in my prayer life is very similar to running.  Many people are gifted runners and there are people who are spiritually gifted in the area of prayer.  For those who are not, they have to work harder, but they can still enjoy it all the same.  Now, for you powerful prayer warriors and spiritually gifted intercessors this will not make any sense to you.  But for most people prayer is a lot of hard work!  There is a reason that the Bible talks about a “sacrifice” of praise!  When you decide to develop your relationship with God, it can be frustrating at the start—sort of like running.  So it is good to begin with a solid plan. 

Let’s look at praying like someone would look at running.  Like running, there are things to consider as you get serious about prayer.  The first thing to do is to prepare.  Here’s how:

“Workout at 5:45 a.m.”   Set aside the time to pray by putting it in your calendar or daily planner.  Can you schedule a time each day of the week?  If not, how many days can you schedule each week?

“Find a good running course.”  Pick out a good place for you to pray. Finding the right spot will help you focus on the task of praying.  It may be a closet or a favorite chair.  Or it may even be a running trial!

“Obtain some good running shoes”

Proper equipment will help in your prayer development.  Even though you don’t need running shoes to pray, there are some things that will help.  The Bible is very important for effective prayer.  If you want to get to know God, you got to read His book.  Later, you will even want to pray the promises of God that you find in scripture. 

Next time I want to carry the prayer running metaphor even further and talk about getting started on your prayer training.

Prayer can be one of the most exciting parts of being a Christ Follower.  It is the opportunity we have to spend time with the God of the universe—to have His attention and to know that He knows our needs.  We can “run” to God just because we want to spend time with Him and He wants to spend that time with us.