Called Away

On this National Day of Prayer, it might be useful to evaluate our own prayer lives and consider not only the amount of time we spend with God each day, but the quality of that time. We can be challenged to step away from the distractions of this world and focus on communicating with Him. In Matthew 6, before He lays out for His disciples a template for prayer, Jesus said:
6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

For this Survey Thursday for the National Day of Prayer, I went searching for some indicators about people's prayer lives.  I found some recent data from Pew Research and its latest Religious Landscape Study.  Its summary said:

Fewer than half of Americans (44%) say they pray each day. This is a substantial decline from the first Religious Landscape Study (RLS) conducted in 2007, when 58% said they prayed at least once a day.

Here are some tidbits of information from the survey:

• 33% of U.S. adults often or always say grace before meals.
• 29% read scripture at least monthly...

Also:

• 28% read other holy texts, devotions or inspirational literature (aside from scripture) at least monthly.
• 19% participate in prayer groups, scripture-study groups or religious educational programs at least monthly.
• 18% share their views about religion with people from other religious backgrounds at least monthly.

Among those who identify as Christians, 60% said they pray daily.  64% of Protestants say they do, including 72% of Evangelicals. 51% of Catholics report daily prayer.   Just over 1 out of 5 Americans say they read the Bible daily outside of worship services - that includes one-third of Christians, just over 4-in-10 Protestants, and slightly over half of Evangelicals. 14% of Catholics say they read the Bible daily.

Going back to a 2023 article at The Christian Post, with research gathered in September of 2022, we find this statement:

According to a study by Lifeway Research, 65% of Protestant churchgoers intentionally spend time alone with God at least daily, with 44% saying daily and 21% saying more than once a day.

And, here's something that may surprise you: "Most churchgoers, 83%, say they are more likely to talk to God through prayer rather than reading from the Bible or a devotional (39%)."

Let's talk about that: I don't see prayer and Bible study as an either/or, but a both/and.  We grow in our Christian walk through not only talking to God, but engaging in two-way communication with Him.  That means there is a certain amount of listening that we ideally should do - God speaks to us through His Word, and the Holy Spirit will illuminate the Scripture to us.  We can fine-tune our ability to hear from the Lord by spending time in His Word.  And, when we pray God's Word, we can be confident that we are praying in accordance with His will.  There is a connection, and we can be using these powerful resources that the Lord gives us in order to grow closer to and deeper with Him.

With fewer than half of Americans saying they pray on a daily basis, I think that coincides with the spiritual condition of our nation.  And, in both these surveys, it appears that only about 6-in-10 professing Christians actually communicate with Jesus on a daily basis.  And, that doesn't even mention the quality of the conversation.  If we're distracted, with so many things on our minds, consumed with daily activity, it lessens the quality of our prayer life.  Now, I'm all for praying and communing with God through the ebb and flow of life.  But, I do believe that He is calling us away consistently, for the purpose of enriching our walk with Him.