The story is told of an old European monastery that sat on the edge of a high cliff and was accessible only by a terrifying ride in a swaying basket. Brave hearted visitors to the monastery were hoisted up in the basket by a single rope and a series of pulleys. One particular visitor noticed on the ride up that the rope was rather old and frayed at certain parts. Hoping to quell his anxiety, he asked the monk riding in the basket with him, “How often do you change the rope?” The monk nonchalantly replied, “Whenever it breaks!” Yikes!
Waiting for something to break before you fix it is a bad policy in life. Good sense tells us that machinery requires constant maintenance, relationships need to be kept in good repair, and when it comes to our spiritual life, good habits need to be practiced. In terms of our walk with God, spontaneity is overrated. Routine and repetition are spiritual lifesavers. Spiritual depth is never last minute. Why? Because we become what we repeatedly do. Spiritual excellence and effectiveness is not an act, it is a habit. For example, if prayer is to be a powerful force in our lives, it must not be the exception, but the prevailing posture and attitude of our daily lives. In light of our opening story, we must not wait for the rope to snap before we pray or before we begin to learn how to pray. For prayer to be a spiritual dynamic in our lives, it must first be a spiritual discipline. The Bible says that prayer is to be a habit in our lives, not an act (Eph. 6:18; 1 Thess. 5:17). If the Christian is to find God’s help through prayer, then life and its challenging moments need to find the Christian in prayer, and at prayer.
In Psalm 55 David exemplifies this ideal of creating greater routine and regularity in our prayer lives, of making prayer a habit not an act. King David needed to pray for God’s help because he was in a fight for his life amidst Absalom’s rebellion and Ahithophel’s treachery (Psalm 55:9-14; cf. 2 Sam. 15:37; 16:20-17:23). But David does pray, and according to the text, the king prayed three times a day: evening, morning, and noon (Psalm 55:17). These set times of prayer for the faithful Jew can also seen in the life of Daniel (Dan. 6:10). David, like Daniel, had customary times of prayer. There was a regiment and a rhythm to his spiritual life. The point not to be missed is that trouble found David at prayer and had trouble defeating him. Although David was tempted to run, he was enabled to stand (Psalm. 55:6-8; 22). The discipline of visiting the secret place to pray three times a day was David’s secret. David knew how to pray when he needed to pray the most. His prayer life was not haphazard or simply spontaneous! The king knew his way to the throne of grace; the path was well worn. It is no surprise then that David kept his balance amidst this tempest of hatred, because his appointed times of prayer before God acted as a counterbalance.
The point! Good spiritual habits help us survive the bad days. Rarely do we get our spiritual act together in the midst of disjointed circumstances and spinning emotions.
Be in the habit of praying when life calls for greater prayer!