Scheduled to Pray
By Dick LaFountain
The day was like so many days. I was busy. I had just interviewed for a new job and was offered an attractive and flattering contract. The boss had asked my wife and me to have dinner with them that Tuesday night. Monday was a full day of meeting with top brass and laying out the groundwork of this new position. We spent most of Tuesday on the road with a realtor looking for housing in the area. By five o’clock we were exhausted but elated that we were able to close a deal on the rental of a beautiful condo overlooking the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.
As we passed one of our favorite restaurants my wife said, “Let’s celebrate!” So, famished, we sat down to an elegant meal at a fine restaurant. As the evening progressed we mused on the week’s events, we rejoiced in God’s goodness, we laid out plans for our move, and how to tell our church about our new decision, when all of a sudden a rush of panic hit me. “What day is today?” I asked with flushed face and bulging eyes. My wife said, “It’s Tuesday.” “Oh no!” I suddenly remembered we had made arrangements to have dinner at the home of my new boss. I will never live down the embarrassment and humiliation of that moment and having to call my boss to explain my forgetfulness.
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Is God on Your Agenda?
An important item on all of our agendas should be prayer, or private meeting with the King. Yet how many of us actually schedule “God-time appointments” with the care and precision of a meeting with a new boss? God laments the forgetfulness of His own people in Jeremiah 2:32. “Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number.”
Unfortunately, it is not the occasional one-time appointment that we miss, but too often it is “days without number.” We prioritize our jobs, our careers, our families, our friends, and even our churches, but when do we prioritize our appointments with God? Do we even have marked appointments with Him? It is very embarrassing to forget an important one-time meeting with your boss, but too frequently we miss our appointments with the King of Kings and think nothing of it.
Deliberate Prayer Discipline
Many years ago God spoke to me about prioritizing prayer times with Him. In Exodus 23:14, 17 and Numbers 22:28 God required of every man in Israel to appear before Him in Jerusalem three times a year--the Feast of Unleavened bread (7 days), the Feast of Harvest (7 days), the Feast of Ingathering (7 days). From that I decided that I should schedule a personal prayer retreat of three days at least three times a year. It became the first thing that was scheduled on my yearly calendar. What a delight those days were!
As pastors, we need both to practice and to teach our people the priority of Acts 6:4 in our lives and ministries: “We will give ourselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
When I became pastor at Grove City Alliance, I began that journey by preaching on Acts 6:4 and setting my priorities before the congregation. I explained that God is my boss and He requires it. At first the elders were reluctant. Then I decided to include the whole congregation on these retreats. I announced my departure for three days to seek the Lord in prayer and that I wanted to take their personal prayer requests with me. I asked them to fill out a 3”x5” card provided in the pew and drop it in the offering plate. The only stipulation was it needed to be a personal request, not a prayer for “Aunt Susie’s bunion.” I promised to keep it to myself and spend one half-day praying over their personal requests. They could sign it, or leave it unsigned if they did not want to identify themselves. The response was overwhelming. I had a stack two inches high to take with me. People loved it. After that the elders recognized the importance of those retreats and included the cost in the budget.
As our church grew and we added staff I asked, and required, each pastor to have the same discipline three times per year. At first they were intimidated to be alone with God for three days. What would they say? What would they pray about for three days? Wouldn’t they get bored? I had already taught them my prayer disciplines and prepared a prayer workbook for extended personal retreats. (It is available on my web site, www.PrayerToday.org.) They had the tools; they just needed the experience. Each one of them (5 in all) came back from their first 3-day retreat and met me privately saying, “Wow! That was wonderful! When can I do it again?” I responded, “Put it on your calendar. It’s part of your job.”
Hey pastors, it is a major part of your job! The King has ordered it. The King will provide for it. He is waiting for you to want it.
About This Pastor:
Rev. Richard LaFountain was a missionary to Brazil, and a longtime pastor in the Christian & Missionary Alliance. In his "retirement" Dick loves to help pastors, church leaders and local congregations discover the power of the presence of God through an intimate walk with Christ in disciplined daily prayer. Dick's website prayertoday.org is a treasure trove of prayer guides, prayer tips and other resources.
