When my youngest daughter was barely a teenager, she was very afraid of the dark. One night she was upstairs and in the middle of the night heard a sound downstairs. She grabbed the phone, pulled the cover over both her and the phone. She then dialed 9-1. After that she held her finger over the last “1.” She was prepared to call for help!
In my own private time, I love long prayers. I love public prayer at church. Prayers around the beds of the sick are special to me. All of these are wonderful, but I especially love those who’s prayer life includes keeping the finger over the “1” button of prayer.
David was such a man. Read the Psalms and you will be convinced of that fact. Often the Psalms will speak about wonderful things or even troubling things and then out of nowhere will be a one-sentence prayer. Nehemiah also had this skill. His enemies would attack him and he would suddenly and abruptly prayer. His prayer was always short and to the point. It did not have all the fancy beginnings and endings. He prayed like a man who knew that God was right beside him and would hear him.
I think this is what the Holy Spirit had in mind when he exhorted us to be “instant in prayer.” (Rom 12:12 KJV) Instant in prayer does not mean that with each step we take we say another prayer. It means that we live with our finger over the last button of the “phone” to God. It means that we do push that button many times.
Go ahead and push call God with a brief prayer, a one-sentence prayer.
God is ready to hear you.
~Lonnie Davis