Let me also state this. Though I understand God didn't mean watch the clock when he said to "watch and pray", the men who have been the mightiest for God have been men of much prayer. The fact that we spend less time in prayer than we do eating one meal a day says a lot about our priorities.
And you are correct, my intentions are not to condemn, but to challenge us to find more time to spend alone with God. Our spiritual life depends upon it.
Yes it does.
Talk to any backslider and they will tell you their prayer life stopped.
Also, our NATION needs prayer desperatly today!
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Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.
As a pastor, I never tell anyone how much "time" I spend in prayer. The main reason is that to do so would be to set people up for failure on either spectrum. Some would say, "I could never spend that much time" and others would say, "That's all you pray?"
We get far too hung up on the amount of time spent than on who we spend it with. Do many of you remember the "Complete Prayer Clock?" We were all basically told that unless we spent an hour daily in prayer, that we really weren't praying as we were supposed to. I vividly remember poor saints who were agonizing just trying to get their time in so as to please the Lord. To most, it was pure misery due to the fact that the emphasis was on the hour.
Prayer is communication with God. That can be on my knees, in my car, at my desk, sitting in a chair, sitting on the bank of a river, etc.I know St. Matt's intentions are pure, but I wont' share with anyone, for the reasons I stated, how much time I spend in prayer. I find it less productive and possibly more damaging than fruitful.
I can understand what you mean...
I am not sure I can put a time limit on prayers...sometimes I wake up and pray 30 min or so before ever getting out of bed... some mornings I don't... I pray on my way to work everyday... at my desk, i pray on my way home.. i pray and thank him continually as I go about my day... in the evenings there are times it seems I pray for a hours...especially when things are weighing heavy on me... then some days it may only be 10-20 min of concentrated prayer.... i love to just drive and pray in the evenings... really can't put a time limit on praying...
I finally figured out what it meant by "Praying without ceasing" I just talk to God as if I have him as my invisible friend... he is with me always... always there and willing to even listen to me whine every so often.... I've found he listens to my rambles and doesn't call me the ramble queen.. lol
On a more serious note, it never ceases to amaze me that he listens and hears my smallest prayer.. he is so faithful to me.
I don't know.....what would your wife say if she found out?
That she's been lookin for a way to ignore me for a day too!! We've been together a long time, so we have no problem being that honest with each other. Anyone who thinks that marriage is always lovey dovey smooches and not being able to be apart from each other for even one minute is only foolin themselves. Lots of times it's about finding a way to keep from beating each other senseless!!!!!
StMatthew, I believe it's wrong to tell others how much you pray. So I can't answer your poll, even though it is private.
In general, there are days when I spend a little bit of time, and days when I spend a lot. My conversations with God are part of an ongoing, continuous relationship. While I agree that there should be private time set aside, on the other hand, there can be a lot of futile "hallelujah"'s called out by people who are just watching the clock and trying to "get their time in."
I do not teach my children to pray a certain amount of time each day. To me, that would be like teaching them they have to fast a certain number of days each year. I teach them to talk to God every day, to listen to Him every day, and to fast when they feel God is leading them to, or when they need to gain some self-control.
As far as I'm concerned, the carnality that exists in the church today is due in large part to a lack of relationship with God--not a lack of prayer--and that lack of relationship has been helped along by focusing on numbers, rituals, habits, traditions and outward trappings instead of quality time and a God-centered life.
and doesn't call me the ramble queen.. lol 
We've been together a long time, so we have no problem being that honest with each other. Anyone who thinks that marriage is always lovey dovey smooches and not being able to be apart from each other for even one minute is only foolin themselves. Lots of times it's about finding a way to keep from beating each other senseless!!!!! 
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