Embracing Life — Day 32

Chandra White-Cummings

Day 32: Red Hot Passion

Don’t worry, you’re in the right place. This is still the Embracing Life blog, not some other blog on how to stir up your marriage, or something like that. Although I guess the two could be related…Any way, I’m going to refer you to the 40 Days entry for today if you’d like to read that reflection, but there’s something else on my mind.

Yesterday morning on my way to work, I heard a Turning Point broadcast by Dr. David Jeremiah. He’s doing a series on the book of Daniel, and his message was about fervency in prayer. Citing Daniel’s intensity in praying for his wayward Israelite brothers, Dr. Jeremiah challenges us to exhibit a similar quality when we come before the ever-accessible throne of grace.

Sometimes it’s hard to maintain a consistent level of focus and intensity in prayer. My mind wanders; I get bored, tired, or frustrated. At other times, I’m simply distracted and am surprised at how easily my thoughts drift to mundane concerns or trivial matters. When I think of Jesus praying so intently at the Mount of Olives that he began to sweat to the point that “his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground”, I wonder what that must have been like. Obviously His fervency was borne from great emotion. Maybe that’s where the challenge lies for us.

I think I’m a lot less emotional than I used to be. I was always told I was too sensitive, too aware of my own feelings and how others affected me. Now that I’m older, I wish I could recapture some of that emotion. I still see myself as passionate, but somehow that seems different from emotion. And that begs the question-what drives fervency in prayer? Emotion, passion, or some combination of the two? Are they one and the same?

I’m not sure, but I do know that we could all benefit from a jolt of emotion, passion, or both. For it seems clear that fervent prayer comes from fervent relationship. When we love someone deeply, it’s hard not to be intense when we interact with them. And what is prayer if not an interaction of the most intimate kind. So if I’m going to ramp up my intensity in prayer, I need to look at my depth of passion for Christ. Am I moved by Him, do I anticipate the joy of His presence? At times, yes. But not often enough.

I realize that when I pray about things, I should not divorce the things from the Person. He should be my motivation and my expectation. If not, I end up praying prayers that sound more like well-informed dialogues rather than a sweaty entreaty to the Love of my life. Maybe I should start a 40 Days of Love movement. Wonder who would join me?

Find out more at the 40 Days for Life website.

Embracing Life — Day 32

Day 32: Red Hot Passion

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