Well, are you? Fortified in prayer, that is. Staying ahead of the game. Not allowing so much time to pass that prayer that seems foreign. Somehow, the longer we go without prayer, the harder it is to start again. Hence, the reason folks used to encourage each other to make sure they remained “prayed up.”
Similar to personal bible study, we can tend to get familiar with God and His Word and become a bit casual in our approach. Or, we allow life’s daily requirements to swallow our time bit by bit. But shouldn’t prayer also be a requirement? How long should we go without so much as a simple, ‘Hello, God. It’s me, Lisa.’ (Just a little Judy Blume humor.)
Much of what we see online and in bookstores is geared toward bridging the gap between maintaining consistent communication with God and making it convenient. Devotional lengths for days where life gets in the way of our study, and prayers written out by topic, for when we can’t think of what to say. I’m grateful for these tools, but I think there’s more to be said about motivation to talk to God and to dig into His Word to see what He wants to say to you.
Although there are countless ways to get and stay “prayed up,” I plan to use Isaiah 40:9 as a guide in the coming months. It reads,
Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!”
In the King James Version, that last phrase is “Behold your God!” Ultimately, when we pray, study, worship, live…we want those who see us to behold (see, notice, look upon) our God. His mighty acts of restoration, motivated by love and justice should propel us to focus on Him and compel others as well. How do we do that? Be an example of prayed up. Praying from the “up” position requires our focus and rewards us with revelation. You can move from reading devotionals to living and writing them!
In Isaiah 40:9, we are encouraged to:
1. Get UP. Get yourself up on a high mountain…
Position yourself where others can see you and hear what you have to say. Promotion and elevation require discipline, favor….and prayer.
2. Speak UP. Lift up your voice mightily…
We have the Good News as part of our lifestyle and our testimony, so we should speak about it with bold confidence.
3. Lift UP. Bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear.
Cultivating faith in a world full of skeptics and consistent demonstrations of fear can be tough. But as carriers of the gospel, our faith must be relentless.
Staying prayed up doesn’t have to be the monotonous chore some suggest! The next time someone asks if you’re prayed up, answer proudly: Why yes, I am!