September 7

Day 177: More Time

A day off from work is an anomaly. By definition, "Something that deviates from the normal or expected." Labor Day is just that.

Labor Day has something to do with worker unions. Union members go to picnics or some other such event. I've never been a union member (that I am aware of), so Labor Day for the rest of us becomes "No Labor Day."

But Labor Day, especially for we northerners, also means the end of any pretense that our summer will continue. (Any pretense we held died in June.) Tomorrow, it will functionally be Fall. We don't wait for the 21st. We know it's already lurking at our front door.

A day off from work can easily result in a day off from Jesus. I have to work, hard, for that not to be the case with me. I will (already did) easily continue my annual Bible reading plan, because I am a creature of habit. And I like checking boxes.

But my prayers can take a day off, and I may not even notice until it's sleepy time. Because I don't want to think about "work" on "No Labor Day." (Pastors get messed up in their thinking sometimes.)

I don't think the OT saints had a Labor Day on their calendars. They did have a weekly Sabbath, however. And that was to remind them of their dependence on God, not to give them spiritual amnesia.

The prophet Elijah was a praying prophet. 1 Kings 17-18 has him praying that it will not rain, and it doesn't rain for 3+ years. He then prays for rain, and it rains. He also prays for fire to come down from heaven to burn up a sacrifice on a wet alter. The fire does come, and burns up the sacrifice and the alter.

It's my guess Elijah didn't take days off from praying.

James 5:16b-18 says, "The prayer of a righteous man has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months id did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit."

James is not saying that prayer has power, as much as he is saying that the One we pray to holds the power.

So often we make prayer out to be a duty - something good Christians do. When we do remember to pray, it usually begins with some nebulous mention of God's grace. And then followed with a shopping list of requests made to our gracious God.

We forget that prayer is really a conversation.

Now if I spent this entire day not speaking with my wife, she'd have something to say about that. And I wouldn't be able to ignore it. Because she'd be right.

People in relationship talk. And listen. Taking a day off from talking and listening would be beyond inappropriate.

So why would I suddenly succumb to amnesia on this or any day?

Especially today, when I have more time to have a conversation with my Savior and Lord!

-Mike Rydman, Lead Pastor, Radiant Church | Juneau