Is Your Prayer Life Built on the Rock?
By Clarence L. Haynes Jr.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” - Matthew 7:24-25
There is a challenge of faith we all experience. That challenge is the distance between knowing what we are supposed to do and what we actually do. So often, we get excited to hear God's Word, and we celebrate over what it says. The problem is we struggle to put it into practice. I will admit it is easy to put God's Word into practice when everything is going well in your life. However, are you willing to do the same thing when everything seems to be falling apart? The test of faith and obedience is what you do when things are not going right. This proves where you are building your house.
As I have gotten older and more mature (hopefully), I recognize that many love to hear God's Word, but we struggle to put it into practice. Some of this struggle is because we don't want to do it. The other part of the struggle exists because what God asks us to do may be difficult. I want to speak to myself and to you so we would not just be hearers of God's Word but doers as well.
The blessing is in doing.
The blessing of God's Word is connected to how much you put it into practice. This is the urging we see throughout the Scriptures, and Jesus equates this to being a wise man who is building his house upon the rock. The test of wisdom is, are you putting Jesus' words into practice? You are not just listening but doing. When we stop hearing the word and fail to act on it, we only fool ourselves. James 1:22 says,
“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” NLT
Is your prayer life built on the rock?
Since this is how you should live, how are you doing? One area where there is a tendency to breakdown and not put God's Word into practice is with prayer. We bring our requests to God but hold on to the anxiety that goes with it. We don't typically associate this with not putting the Word into practice, but that is exactly what it is.
One reason we pray is to let go of things causing us anxiety. We get the first part right and exercise wisdom in bringing them to God. However, we miss the second part because, foolishly, we keep the anxiety that led us to pray in the first place. I have done a lot of worrying in my day, and I can assure you it produces nothing good in your life, nor does it change any situation. By the way, Jesus told us it wouldn't. Remember these words.
“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” - Matthew 6:27
The obvious answer is no, yet how often do we continue to worry even after praying? Why do we do this? It's because of that gap between knowing what to do and doing it. Don't get me wrong. I am not trying to pass judgment or declare that this is easy. I have wrestled with this enough to know it's not. However, if we will hold on to God's word and do what it says, we need to cast our anxieties upon the Lord and leave them there.
The Challenge
Here's the challenge for today. Let's be wise. According to Jesus, wisdom means taking and acting on what he said. If you want to build your prayer life on the rock, then learn what Jesus has said about prayer and do just that. I can assure you that if you do, you will experience all the benefits of prayer because you have set your life on the rock by practicing what Jesus said.
Intersecting faith and life:
Holding on to anxieties and worries doesn't make the situation better. It simply makes you worse.
Further Reading
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Yevheniia Bondarieva
Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club. He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose which will help you understand how God leads you into his will. His most recent book is The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. This book will teach you how to put the pieces together so you can live a victorious Christian life and finally become the man or woman of God that you truly desire to be. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has just released his first Bible study course called Bible Study Basics. To learn more about his ministry please visit clarencehaynes.com.
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