Boredom in Prayer

 July 28, 2024

“Finally, become strong in the Lord and in the might of his strength. Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil…”

—Ephesians 6:10-11

Yesterday I used the illustration of the British manor house where the lord of the manor is sitting at the table with the lady of the manor and their guests. While they’re eating, the servants simply stand behind the guests, ready to respond to the slightest nod from the lord. 

Here’s the kicker: Most of the time, the servants are standing, they’re doing nothing other than paying close attention to their lord. It is both boring and stressful—boring because they are doing nothing other than standing; stressful because in their boredom they must keep close attention upon the lord of the manor.

I think many of our problems today come because we insist on being constantly active. We HAVE to be doing something all the time, so we busy ourselves with all kinds of activity that distract us from paying attention to the lord of the manor. Our busyness makes us miss God’s will. It’s hard to simply stand before the Lord, but it’s our first and most important service.