Verse: 1 Peter 4:7
The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.

Devotion
Ok, that’s not serious at all. (Hopefully my sarcasm is evident here)

Deep breath. I am the queen of not being alert and sober of mind. I love to procrastinate, and I love to distract myself from what I’m actually supposed to be doing. Can anyone relate? And then I scramble to catch up when I realize how little time I have to accomplish what I had committed to.

I don’t really think there is a good way to catch up on prayer, though. It’s one of those things that gets better with practice, and stronger with repetition. It’s something we definitely can get better at with practice. So if that’s what I am meant to be doing, but instead I am just jumping from distraction to distraction, what does that say about the quality of my prayers? And how will I feel when the end of all things is truly here? No more time to catch up.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the things that I would like to be praying for regularly. But to be honest, I haven’t spent a lot of time praying for those things. Just making the prayer list. So this is a wonderful kick in the pants for me, anyway, to begin to pray for those things that I feel led to, and not to simply make a mental list about it. When I do pray with regularity, it is amazing the way I see God move. Not due to my prayers, necessarily, but I feel like the regular time in prayer helps me to have eyes that are more clearly able to see what God is doing.

Prayer:
Lord God, will you help us to be more alert and sober of mind. Will you give us strength where our flesh is weak, and seeks distractions over substance. We know what is good for us, but so often choose something else. Forgive us for being so easily swayed. We want to do better! Thank you for how much you love us and for all the chances you lavish on us. Amen.

Author: Emily Costa