Lately, I've been studying Islam. One thing that has inspired me about Islam is the Muslim's dedication to regular and formal times of prayer. I began to reflect on my Christian life and wonder if I was praying enough. I know that the Scripture teaches that we are to pray without ceasing (
1 Thessalonians 5:17), and so I've tried to keep a proper prayerful mindfulness throughout my daily activities, but formal regular times of prayer often elude me. Sometimes I'll catch myself towards the end of the week realizing that I've not really engaged in enough focused prayer and meditation as I should have. Muslims pray 5 times a day (Salah). It is in fact one of the 5 Pillars of Islam (5 obligatory practices for every Muslim). These "pillars" are spelled out in their holy book, the Qur'an. When read in it's proper context the Qur'an is quite beautiful and can be inspiring. The Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) charted a course that united the peoples of the Arabian Peninsula, crushed idolatry, and established a more stable, just, and equitable society. He was known for his compassion and sense of justice, something the Western critics often don't hear much about. When viewed in historical contexts of what he was up against, Mohamed (PBUH) was truly an impressive figure. It is no wonder the Muslim people came to revere him so deeply. In a very real sense, Mohamed (PBUH) was a man who was like a mixture of Moses and Joshua in one. But this post isn't about Mohamed (PBUH), it is about prayer and the Islamic ideal behind it. In Islam one of the distinguishing features between the believer and the unbeliever is their dedication to prayer. The Qur'an maps out the obligatory prayers for every Muslim. As I studied these things I began to ask myself, why doesn't the Bible map out specifics on prayer? Jesus mapped out a prayer commonly called the Our Father Prayer. This prayer covers the basic elements that all Christian prayers should be composed of. Here I will present it for reference:
Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV)
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
As with Muslims and their regular prayers, most Christians can rattle this prayer off of the tips of their tongues at a moments notice. However, many rarely pray it and meditate upon it's meaning. In this prayer we hallow the name of God, prayer for the advancement of His Kingdom on earth, pray for our daily needs and sustenance, confess and plead for forgiveness of our sins, pray that God protects us and delivers us from the enemy of our souls, and we close affirming His eternal kingdom, power, and glory. In truth, it is a most sublime prayer. I've taken much comfort in actually praying this prayer meditatively. But... what about times of day? How often could I, or should I, pray more focused prayer?
I began to study various Scriptures on prayer and I found one that was very interesting to me in the context of this study. It is found in the Psalms, it reads:
Psalm 55:17
Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
In this psalm, the psalmist expresses a spiritual reality that I found rather beautiful. The psalmist states that, "evening, and morning, and at noon", he will pray and cry aloud to the LORD. And it comes with an expectant promise... "and he shall hear my voice". Evening, morning, and at noon. Three times a day. My inspiration is leading me to try this. To dedicate time to pray the Our Father prayer and lay my petitions before the LORD three times a day... in the evening, in the morning, and at noon. The way I will gauge this is in the morning, I will ensure that the sun has risen and in the light of the new day I will approach the LORD in prayer and supplication. At noon, when the sun is highest in the sky, I desire to once again take the time to stop and pray to my LORD. And lastly, after the sun has set and the evening has commenced, I will find time to pray. I wonder how this will affect my spirituality? I wonder if it will draw me nearer to God? Will it show me a greater dimension to my prayer wherein I'll discover a combination with which to ensure that the LORD will indeed hear my pleas and answer my prayers in more profound ways?
So, this is one of several things that I've learned and perhaps even gained from my study of Islam. I thought I'd share it here.
May God richly bless and keep you and yours through the grace affording through Jesus Christ our LORD and Savior.
Aquila 
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