Like so many things in life—marriage, college, a new job, a new hobby, joining a church or gym—there is an initial excitement. We could even call it a high. In marriage, we call it the “honeymoon phase.” The same can be true with an initiative like the 100 Days of Pursuit. We feel pumped up. Anticipation builds. Emotions soar for a while but then, well, they flop down. We come down from the high and find ourselves in need of patience and discipline.
Why can’t we stay on the mountaintop of exhilaration? Why can’t we ride the wave of inspiration every moment? Why is it so hard?
Happiness
Usually my disappointment in coming down from the initial excitement is connected to my underlying desires for comfort, ease and instant pleasure. I just want to feel that happy feeling. It’s not wrong to want to feel happy but we must be driven by a higher desire—the desire for God Himself.
I’ve noticed that many days in my pursuit of God my emotions are flat. There are no gushing feelings of euphoria. When I feel this way coming into prayer I can think of a dozen other things I could do to feel instant gratification. You know what I’m talking about. We could munch on food or watch tv or shop or flip through social media or any number of other things.
But if we want to develop a deep relationship with God, we must learn to pray when we aren’t feeling any inspiration. I believe this is one of the most important things we can learn to do. If we only pray when we are feeling inspired then our prayer life will be very sporadic. We must learn to be consistent. Romans 12 says,
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. — Romans 12:12
Is it worth the cost?
If we don’t feel that pushing through a prayer time is worth the effort we won’t do it. This is why people stop going to the gym. The cost of exercising feels much greater than the benefits of exercise—at least in the moment. It’s easy to see clearly that the long-term benefits of being constant in exercise far exceed the decision not to. Intellectually we get it, right?
The same is true for prayer. I’m pretty sure we all know that the long-term benefits of seeking God far exceed whatever else we might do instead of prayer.
But at the time of decision, it is a real battle. It’s hard to think about the long-term benefits. A louder voice is calling. Our lazy bodies and minds want to do something easy. We avoid hard things. And again, if our underlying goal in life is to feel happy—rather than to know God—we'll always obey the impulse for quick easy gratification.
Whiny little flesh
There is much joy in seeking hard after God but it’s not always easy. Consider this verse:
Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. — 1 Corinthians 9:25-27
Olympic athletes discipline their bodies rigorously. What motivates them? Paul is saying, “a perishable wreath,” or in our times, a bronze, silver or gold medal. Athletes endure early morning workouts and long days of harsh training. Why? For the glory of winning. Or maybe to honor their country. For fame and fortune. As wonderful as these may be they are benefits confined to the tiny span of this present life. Fleeting.
Paul is appealing to something much bigger. He disciplines himself for that which is imperishable. He’s referring, of course, to eternal rewards. This is the underlying motivation that enabled Paul not only to discipline himself but to suffer in all the ways he did.
We must learn to be constant in prayer. Our fleshly impulses will try to sabotage our plans to pray every single time. Our whiny little flesh whimpers, “I don’t want to pray, I don’t feel like it, I wanna eat food and watch tv, I wanna do something easy and fun, I wanna sleep.” The flesh has no concern for long-term eternal rewards. The flesh doesn’t care about the interests of God to rescue the perishing and advance the kingdom of Christ. The flesh is all about one thing—instant gratification. We cannot let the flesh rule us!
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. — Romans 8:12-14
Walk in the Spirit. Live for eternity. Store up treasure in heaven. Discipline yourself now for the sake of bearing fruit later. Develop a long-term mindset that considers bringing glory to God of much greater value than temporary pleasures. This is what drove Moses to be so constant in his devotion to the Lord:
By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. — Hebrews 11:24-27
We are lazy!
Let me try to say this more plainly. Things like prayer, fasting, reading the Word, giving sacrificially, and so on, require discipline. When it comes time to do these things we find a strong impulse in us to not do them. We don’t feel like it. Unless we draw motivation from an eternal perspective we won’t be able to overcome the impulses of the flesh.
We are all lazy. Moses and Paul were lazy. I’m lazy. No one is born disciplined. Kids and teens are lazy. We all have a strong propensity to pamper ourselves and cater to the impulses of the body. More practically, if you want your drive for Christ to whip your bodily impulses, you have to renew your mind. You have to preach to yourself regarding the importance of things like prayer and fasting to deepen your conviction. Reading the Word will deepen your conviction. Reading the lives of great men and women of God will deepen your conviction. Listening to fiery challenging sermons will deepen your conviction. Spending time with people who live for eternity will deepen your conviction.
When you come into your planned time for prayer and your flesh starts whining—don’t listen. Shush the whining. And remind yourself that prayer affects eternity. That prayer can shake nations. Prayer can change people’s lives. Prayer can open the windows of heaven. Prayer pulls down strongholds and advances the kingdom of God. Prayer is the path to knowing God. Prayer is the greatest of all investments. Prayer transforms us. Prayer is heard by God! Prayer is a labor that is never in vain. Preach to yourself over and over until you develop a deep conviction that prayer is the most important thing you can do this side of eternity. Selah.