How Much Time do You Spend in Prayer Daily?

[etexas]

Not nearly enough. It really depends on how much I have sinned. It is at those times when I am most conscious of sin that I pray longest and most earnestly.

I am sad to say I pray more if I have sinned. We are called to pray at all times and in all "seasons". This is an area I need to work on. (I posted this prior to reading Dr. Bawb's post...what he wrote made me feel better!)

 

[satz]

Thanks everyone... Some of that is really helpful.

Just to clarify, I was not intending to try to discover some 'magic number' of minutes we have to pray everyday (I'am sure everyone knew that). I was just asking as a sort of curiousity about what other godly christians are doing as a means to measure my own spiritual life. Thinking back, I do understand it is not something people would necessarily want to share in public.

Thanks again.

 

[Reformed Covenanter]

Just curious if anyone would be willing to share how much time (on average) do you spend praying on a daily basis?

Perhaps more if we all spent less time on the internet.

 

[Margaret Roolker]

As Prayer is our life-line, so to speak, we can't really do without it, can we now?
We can pray, while alone, in our "closets", and devote ourselves completely to being with the Lord, and pray, and listen to Him. But there are also times, while working (vacuuming, for me, for instance) or driving - you name it, that our thoughts can be focused on God, and there is a subtle awareness of thinking our thoughts before Him. I do not know if this classifies as prayer, but I do perceive it as such.

 

[VictorBravo]

Just curious if anyone would be willing to share how much time (on average) do you spend praying on a daily basis?

Perhaps more if we all spent less time on the internet.

Aaacck! Touché. (Quickly shutting down. . . . . .)

 

[etexas]

Just curious if anyone would be willing to share how much time (on average) do you spend praying on a daily basis?

Perhaps more if we all spent less time on the internet.

Aaacck! Touché. (Quickly shutting down. . . . . .)

Yep! Ouch!

 

[Davidius]

Nicholas, I don't think David is suggesting that our growth comes "solely" from our corporate worship. The New Testament really doesn't seem to emphasize "quiet time" as much as some of us used to think, but it's still helpful to have one.

Augusta, sorry about your kitty!

I do not see how it doesnt. IT certainly does not emphasize worhsip above and beyond private prayer. Again, see the Pink article

I did not read the whole thing because it's very long and I don't have time. However, from what I read it looked like he was 1) making a lot of assertions and 2) developing his argument almost entirely from narrative passages, especially some which derive their importance from their special place in redemptive history. You can say "Private prayer is the test of our sincerity" all day, with whatever font decorations and punctuations you like, but that doesn't prove anything. It just, to borrow your own phrase, "sounds pious." It is neither for us to decide how sanctification takes place, nor to spurn God's ways if they seem too simple. To my knowledge the Reformed confessions have always acknowledged that the bible places the weight of sanctification on the public means of grace. If you don't think that worship for one day per week is enough then you can take that up with the 4th commandment. I work for 6 days a week because God has given me a calling in the world, and I worship on one. This is God's setup, not mine. If I feel like I need to have worship every day then this is a burden I've created for myself in my own mind and it owes to a dissatisfaction with God's prescription.

 

[Amazing Grace]

Just curious if anyone would be willing to share how much time (on average) do you spend praying on a daily basis?

Perhaps more if we all spent less time on the internet.

But how will we fill our self righteouss and prideful hearts if noone hears our eloquence? We all wear the long robes and love to hear ourselves pontificate as if we were also caught up in the 3rd heaven...

38As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, 39and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely."

Now that I think of it Daniel, you like the Law so much, I bet you also have a long robe!!! LOL

 

[Larry Hughes]

Everyone of us would say not enough and if we did “give a number” we’d inherently use it in our conscience to compare ourselves against each other’s standard and make it a new legalism (e.g. the Pharisee’s prayer versus the tax collectors).

Understanding the Psalms, what’s going on there, and really looking at what is going on really help one better understand prayer.

Prayer is very natural to faith, it’s the fruit of faith. There’s formal prayer as in formerly saying or speaking it in a more formal “mode”, and then there’s those cries from the soul that have no words but are moanings and groanings from within. Prayer can be sung (e.g. the Psalms). A prayer can be an un-worded exasperation of the soul as David speaks much of in the Psalms. Some don’t realize that memorizing, meditating or ruminating upon a catechism of the doctrine or Word is too a prayer (e.g. David in the Psalms) because the soul is appealing to God in this. We don’t often recognize this because its so natural to living faith its like recognizing your heart beat, you don’t do it unless you pause for a minute to do so. Meditating and committing to memory for example the Ten Commandments can be prayer, you have to realize just how the soul and mind is doing this. One can meditate on the Lord’s prayer all one’s life and NEVER exhaust it’s import or doctrine, I’m constantly astounded by it everyday. This is a much forgotten thing in American Christianity.

Blessings,

L

 

[Reformed Covenanter]

Just curious if anyone would be willing to share how much time (on average) do you spend praying on a daily basis?

Perhaps more if we all spent less time on the internet.

But how will we fill our self righteouss and prideful hearts if noone hears our eloquence? We all wear the long robes and love to hear ourselves pontificate as if we were also caught up in the 3rd heaven...

38As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, 39and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely."

Now that I think of it Daniel, you like the Law so much, I bet you also have a long robe!!! LOL

No way; I would trip on a long robe walking round Belfast.

 

[larryjf]

Scripture and formal prayer are a pair with me.
When i am walking closely with God i spend about 3 hours a day in prayer and read about 9 chapters of the Scripture.
When i am not walking that closely, i spend about 30 minutes a day in prayer and read 1 chapter.

This is the type of question that folks tend not to give a straight answer for because on the one hand you don't want to appear prideful, on the other hand you don't want to appear lax in your duty.

 

[Amazing Grace]

Perhaps more if we all spent less time on the internet.

But how will we fill our self righteouss and prideful hearts if noone hears our eloquence? We all wear the long robes and love to hear ourselves pontificate as if we were also caught up in the 3rd heaven...

38As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, 39and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely."

Now that I think of it Daniel, you like the Law so much, I bet you also have a long robe!!! LOL

No way; I would trip on a long robe walking round Belfast.

Or would you trip becasue of too much Crested Ten Jameson.

Daniel, I will go on record to say at times you infuriate me, but you can take a joke and dish it out..

 

[Reformed Covenanter]

But how will we fill our self righteouss and prideful hearts if noone hears our eloquence? We all wear the long robes and love to hear ourselves pontificate as if we were also caught up in the 3rd heaven...

38As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, 39and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely."

Now that I think of it Daniel, you like the Law so much, I bet you also have a long robe!!! LOL

No way; I would trip on a long robe walking round Belfast.

Or would you trip becasue of too much Crested Ten Jameson.

Daniel, I will go on record to say at times you infuriate me, but you can take a joke and dish it out..

That is great ; I would go on record and say that I do not intentionally go out to annoy anyone, but when I feel there is Biblical warrant for making a strong statement (which may offend) then I will make one. Taking and dishing out jokes is one of the best things about being an Ulsterman. I sometimes wonder if Ulstermen wrote the Bible, as the humour and sarcasm of Scripture is similar to our culture (I am not being serious when I say that).