Devoted

Colossians 4:2 (NAS) “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;”

The Greek word translated “devote” in the above verse carries the meaning of “to be steadfastly attentive unto, to give unremitting care to a thing” and to “persevere and not to faint”, according to Strong’s Concordance.

Hmm. What things am I steadfastly attentive and give unremitting care to? Here is a partial list, in no particular order:

Sleep, eating, my friends, my Kindle, my money, the Philadelphia Phillies, Katie Morrison in general.

Notice what’s missing? I attend to and care for many things, but prayer is rarely something I persevere in. (Or keep alert in!)

But if you look down through human history at the people God has used greatly to his glory, from the apostles Paul (the one giving the command above certainly led by example) and James (aka “old camel knees” because of the time spent on them in prayer), to the more modern faithful ones like Hudson Taylor and George Mueller, they all have this in common: they were devoted to prayer. It wasn’t a “before meals” thing or a quick yawn at bedtime or upon rising. They persevered in it, constantly and consistently communicating with their God; bringing concerns and needs and praising him throughout their lives. As a result of their close, yielded relationship with the Savior, he used them to spread the gospel of grace throughout the world, as well as to encourage countless saints.

Where are those who are devoted to prayer today?