My 10-year old, Bram, really wants to have an amazing jump shot (we’re talking about basketball here). THIS is what he thinks he looks like. THIS is what the rest of us see. Here’s the challenge: Bram needs to master the fundamentals before he can ever shoot like Klay Thompson (I prefer his shot to Curry…or anybody else in the league for that matter). I coach him constantly (which drives Bram and Janna crazy!), but he hears me say “square up, get your elbow in, use your legs, etc...” It drives him crazy, but until he gets a good shot from 10 feet without pressure, he can forget about shooting a 3 in a game situation…and it’s going to take a lot of work on the basics. The professionals still work on the basics every day. Fundamentals first, kid!
This is often times how I approach faith as well. I hear stories of great “heroes of faith (like Billy Graham, Hudson Taylor Mother Teresa, etc.),” I want to see God the way they saw God – in a way that changed everything and launched them into lives of significant influence and Kingdom impact. I want to have Klay Thompson’s jump-shot with Bram’s level of experience and practice.
Prayer is the fundamental that the spiritual life is built on. It goes against all my “wisdom” about productivity, but until I am consistently prioritizing prayer, the infrastructure is missing.
So, what happens when we pray? Our hearts become captured by Jesus more and more – his love, power, humility, grace, compassion, mercy, justice, forgiveness (and so many more), we are made more aware of our own brokenness and need for him, and the Holy Spirit begins to transform us. We begin to have a softer heart. We become more unsettled about lostness and injustice in the world. We begin to hear God’s voice and understand his will. It’s the place where we’re empowered to live like Jesus did.
Isaiah 30:15
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.
Repentance, rest, quietness and trust – these aren’t exactly the formula we’d use for productivity, but they are the picture of a life of prayer. My tendency is summarized in the last line –- “you would have none of it.”
Do you fight this tendency too? I do, and I’ve often settled for less because of it. My prayer for you today is that you and I wouldn’t settle for our own strength. May we be people who are empowered by the Holy Spirit because we’ve spent time in His presence. May we be ok with acknowledging our dreams, but focusing on the fundamentals in the everyday life.
Fundamentals first, kid!