Growth Points: Spend Time in Prayer

Run for God.

 “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”
-1 Corinthians 9:27

Today’s story began an hour ago. School was done for the day, and I was lacing up my shoes to go for a walk. As I step out the door, a voice inside me says: Run a 5K. My brain immediately responds: No, why would I do that? Besides, my back is still recovering from being out for a month after injuring it lifting cinder blocks.

I made the choice to go ahead with it anyway. 30 minutes and 5 kilometres later, it clicks. God wanted today’s post to draw an analogy between running and praying.

The race is on.

Today’s growth point is…

I find prayer and running similar. Let’s talk about the latter. I “got into” running in 9th grade. Ironically enough, it started at camp. We were playing a large group game, something like capture the flag. I’m running around the camp, searching for flags, and people are tagging me repeatedly. So, like any authentic comeback story, I tell myself, “I’m gonna spend an entire year training so that I can come back next time and outrun everyone.”

Aside from the exercise and time in nature, running has taught me valuable lessons about running my race for Christ.

In His Words…

In Luke 11:2-4 Jesus says,

“Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

If you’re looking for a place to start your prayer life, this is it. I try to pray the Lord’s Prayer every day, as it covers almost all the bases. Plus, it gets my heart in the right place.

Room to Grow.

The apostle Paul frequently likened running and physical activity to living for Christ. One of these passages is Hebrews 12:1-2, where Paul instructs us to “run with endurance the race set before us.” Today I have five steps to a healthy running life and a healthy prayer life.

1. Have the right footwear.

“As soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge, the water above that point began backing up a great distance away…”
-Joshua 3:15-16a

At my camp’s Young Adult Retreat this summer, we were treated to an entire message on the Theology of Feet. Not to step on anyone’s toes, but the concept pops up time and again in Scripture (see John 13, for example). Feet matter because they’re our foundation.

When I run, I make sure I’m wearing a good pair of shoes. You can settle for cheap ones, but you’ll feel every step. Likewise, we need to prep ourselves with the right “footwear” for prayer. We must enter our conversations with God – however short or long they are – with a foundation in His Word. (You can read last week’s post for steps on how to do that.)

It’s also smart to drink water before you run. When praying, I often begin by praying Scripture – the living water. Once we’re hydrated on God’s Word, we can begin the race.

Prayer comes from having the right foundation.

2. You need to want it.

“I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
-Philippians 3:14

No one steps outside and says, “You know, I kind of sorta maybe want to go running.” No one runs while dragging their feet behind them. Actual runners skip all that and do it. They’re committed, and hard as it is, they want to do it. You train your body to do hard things. You make yourself want it.

So why don’t we approach prayer the same way? I’m never going to know God by saying, “You know, I kind of sorta maybe want to pray.” You can’t kind of want to know God. You need to want it. You need to put in the effort consistently and repeatedly.

A Caveat…

I often read books or hear people say that, “To really know God you need to do X and Y and spend Z amount of time with Him every day.” This isn’t wrong, but I think we incorrectly interpret the message. Hearing that I need to do such and such can be overwhelming. It also makes our relationship with God feel more like a to-do list.

You probably don’t say to yourself every morning, “You know, I should spend 25 minutes with my best friend/siblings/boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse today. Let’s find a perfect block for that in my calendar…” No. You do it regardless because you enjoy spending time with them. You prioritize it. Prayer is no different. It’s not an obligation; it’s an invitation. Prayer isn’t work; it’s worship.

The more time I spend running, the more I love it. The more time I spend praying, the more I love God. I don’t do either because I have to (though I know I should), I do it because I want to. As soon as we flip that mental switch, prayer no longer becomes a burden and instead becomes a gift.

You must want to know God better; not out of obligation, but out of love.

3. No distractions.

“Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.”
-Proverbs 4:25

Since I live in a city, I usually run along sidewalks and side streets. This gets frustrating because I regularly need to wait at intersections for cars to go through. “Strangely” enough, I didn’t have to stop once on this last run. The God-at-work bells were ringing.

Distractions (phones, untied shoelaces, other people, cars) kill your running momentum. I can’t think of anything that stalls a run faster than waiting for a half-dozen cars to go by.

Is it odd that I experience the same phenomenon in prayer? Following camp, I made my entire prayer list “analog”. Paper & Pen are now my companions. Having the world at our fingertips means God is in the distance.

I’ll be serious here: your walk with God will grow exponentially if all you do is sit in His presence with no distractions. Ask His Spirit to lead. Pray for your friends, your family, your future, anything. But do it without distractions.

Prayer without distractions lets us focus on God.

4. Push through the hard sections.

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
-James 1:12

We all have those moments. When you’re running and you get a cramp, or your calves start burning. The easy choice is giving up. The hard choice is pressing on and going harder.

We all have those moments. When you’re praying and God brings up something difficult, or He asks you to trust Him completely. The easy choice is shutting your Bible and shutting God out. The hard choice is pressing on and delving deeper into prayer.

To grow our walk with God, we can’t be a fair-weather Christian. We can’t dump our requests on God and not listen to His will. I find that it’s only after I’ve pushed through the hard confessions and talks with God that He reveals His greatest truths.

Don’t give up when prayer gets hard.

5. Go the extra mile.

“If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”
-Matthew 5:41

I’ve been running this 5K for a while now, and I glance at my watch. I’m two-thirds there. To my left, I see a side street that will take me home. I’ve already run pretty far, surely this is good enough. Yet straight ahead I see the long road…the hard road. It’ll mean running the extra mile (literally), but I do it.

Time in prayer isn’t about the time itself; it’s about coming with a humble heart, ready to hear God. If I may offer one tip: don’t give up. When you halt a golf swing mid-stroke, you ruin the whole shot (including all the time you spent practicing and setting up). Please don’t do this with God. You’ll miss His greatest messages.

When you pray, don’t take the easy way out.

Running for God.

Prayer and running require dedication, discipline, focus, perseverance, and preparation. No wonder Paul linked them so much. To grow in prayer, you don’t have to love running (but I’d encourage you to try). What you do need is a lot of humility and ears to hear God’s voice. Cultivating a healthy prayer life takes years, but I’m loving the process.

I hope the list I’ve shared today can help you in your walk with God. If you have questions about prayer, please leave a comment, and I’ll try my best to point you to His Word. Until then, I’m praying for you.

As my youth guys’ favourite verses to memorize say (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)…

“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”