Kehinde A. Bolutife
Elijah`s Prayer: Without Any Distraction
“…and put his face between his knees…”
What does that mean? He buried his eyes in between his knees as if to be shutting his eyes and blocking his ears against external distractions.
Distraction is anything that takes away your attention away from what you are doing or thinking about. Is this not the reason why Christians usually practice the culture of closing their eyes in prayer? But more important than this is the eye of the mind. It is possible for you to close your physical eyes while the eyes of your mind are wide opened unto several things. “…for with their mouth they shew much love but their heart goeth after their covetousness.” Where do your heart and mind go when you kneel down to pray? Are your heart and mouth in agreement during your time of prayer? Prayer offered with a distracted heart cannot avail anything!
“He answered and said unto them, well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, this people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me…” Imagine that! Any prayer you pray when your mouth is speaking one thing and your heart is somewhere else is a vain prayer! That is what Christ was saying in that passage: “Howbeit in vain do they worship me.”
Is your heart single when you pray? The hearts of some people are busy cooking at home while their mouths are busy shouting prayers in church. Some say they are praying while their hearts are busy travelling and making friends and business contacts. How can God answer such prayer?
The issue of distraction is one major issue believers need to wage war against if our prayer must be fervent and effectual. It is highly disgraceful how Christians and Christian leaders have allowed technological invention especially cell phone to destroy sacred spiritual worship… Handset has become one major idol of distraction that competes with God in the place of prayer! Answering call during corporate worship, preaching and while praying is now a cankerworm that is eating deep into the fabric of our spiritual worship!
This is shameful and reproaching to the name of God. It ought not to be! This is one reason why the reality of God’s presence is fast fading out among us and our prayers feeble and producing little or no effect. “We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.” Until we repent of this careless attitude towards God, our prayers will only amount to mere shouting to the air and a waste of time. “But when thou prayeth, enter into thy closet, and when thou has shut thy door (on the world, on friends, on handset, on noises around and on your distractions) then pray to thy Father which is in the secrete; and thy Father which seeth in the secrete shall reward thee openly.”
“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” Jesus rose up early in the morning while it was still dark in order to commune with God. He conquered sleep by rising up (not lying down praying) He also got rid of distractions by doing this while others were still sleeping a great while before day. You can also learn from His example. He also departed into a solitary (lonely) place. In that way also, He avoided distraction from His disciples and people around who may need His attention and therefore interrupt His quiet time. He also avoided being a disturbance to other people by going to a lonely place. Make sure however, that there is quietness in your own heart as that can constitute great distractions also.
The Prayer of Elijah continues in the next episode…
