One day with the Lord (Got a minute?)

The Bible tells us, “…one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (II Peter 3:8 ). While pondering this statement, I performed a few calculations: It would mean that each hour with the Lord is worth 42 years of trying to figure things out humanly. And as I broke it down further, every minute with the Lord is worth eight months of going at it alone!

Consider the Exodus story in the Bible. What if the children of Israel had spent just one hour collectively praying about entering their future homeland? Might they have saved themselves 40 years of wandering in the desert of human hopes and fears?

Prayer can be likened to pushing the pause button on a TV remote. But instead of proceeding with the next programmed scene, effective prayer has the ability to determine the next scene, changing it from one of impulsive human reaction to a loving spiritual response. Prayer magnifies God’s allness, giving us the ability to see through fear’s mask and to behold the “face of God”: the healing solution which is always at hand.

The argument could be made, “I might pray an hour about a major decision but don’t have the time to pray about everything.” Granted, some decisions are more important than others, but what about one minute of prayer? Most of us could probably have saved ourselves a lot of time spent unraveling what was impulsively said or done if we had only taken a minute to pray first.

Let’s look at a Biblical example from the life of David. Prior to becoming king, David was on his way with 400 men to take the life of Nabal, who had insulted him (see I Samuel 25 ). Nabal’s wife, Abigail, heard of David’s murderous intent, and could have given in to an impulsive reaction of fear—which might have led to fleeing or defense with more men and armaments—but instead she met David on the path with gifts. She bowed herself before him and proceeded to petition David’s sense of fairness and mercy. Here was the moment of decision. David could have easily brushed her aside and willfully avenged his honor. Instead he paused, listened, and was so moved by her prayer that he thanked Abigail for saving him from impulsive violence. That one minute of prayer saved the life of Nabal and his servants, where one prayer-less minute could have cost many lives, and even changed the course of the history of Israel. A loving spiritual response always leads away from fear and to divine possibilities.

Many years ago I had a chance to see how prayer—even for just a minute—can lead us to a loving spiritual response. I was driving to a business appointment and passing through a busy intersection when I saw a man suddenly collapse on the sidewalk. Someone came to his aid immediately for which I was secretly grateful, not only for the benefit of the fallen man, but because that meant I didn’t have to get involved and possibly delay or miss my meeting. All of a sudden a wave of shame came over me and I hoped I would have another opportunity to serve correctly, as a good Samaritan might, versus passing by on the other side, as did the priest and Levite in Jesus’ parable (Luke 10:30-37 ).

That opportunity presented itself the very next day. It was Saturday morning, about 7 o’clock, and there was no traffic or anyone in sight. I was leaving the driveway of an investment property after inspecting it for possible purchase. To my left, a half-block away, I was surprised to see a man sitting on the hood of his car with no shirt, no shoes, and wild-looking hair. To my right was clear sailing—nothing obstructing my path home.

I paused for a minute of prayer, asking for direction about what to do. I knew that one aspect of humble prayer is willingness to follow the corresponding inspiration, wherever it might lead. So when the thought came, “Drive slowly past the man,” I did just that.

As I slowly drove by, I made eye contact with him, after which he leaped off the car and ran toward my side. I stopped and saw him mouth the words through the closed window, “Can you help me?” I looked at him intently, to which he responded, “I can see you’re a Christian. Can you help me?”

The next thing I knew I was standing next to him, listening to his tale of drug addiction and family abandonment. He was in tears but stopped when I pulled out a copy of Science and Health from my trunk, opened it to the definition of angels from the Glossary, and asked him to read it aloud: “ANGELS. God’s thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect; the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality, counteracting all evil, sensuality, and mortality” (p 581 ).

Among many other topics, we kept returning to the idea of God’s never-ending, unconditional love for him. “I believe you’re my angel,” he said to me at one point, to which I responded, “And I believe you’re mine,” and offered him the book which he gratefully accepted. Our time together ended with him hugging me.

I don’t know what became of my friend, but I believe he felt the power of prayer – I know I did, and was grateful to be able to look in the mirror and see in myself something of the good Samaritan, a completely different image from the previous day. What a difference a minute of prayer made!

Whether we’re talking about a major decision which might affect us for months, years, or decades, or a more minor choice, spending an hour, or even a minute, with the Lord in prayer ensures our progress. Prayer enables us to align our thought with God’s direction, and reliably leads us to inspired solutions and committed action.