Dear Pacific Union Friend:

It was my junior year of college and the week of prayer speaker was H.M.S. Richards. Each theology major was given five minutes with Richards to ask him one question. My question was, “Tell me about your personal devotional life on a typical day.”

What I really wanted to hear, although I didn’t say so, was whether or not this man of God spent hours in prayer. If he said he did, I wanted to know how he did it. For me at that time, 10 minutes in prayer seemed like forever. And when I knelt by my bed at night, I was so tired I usually went to sleep on my knees. So I opted for a quick prayer, and then went to bed. How could people pray for hours? Or should they?

What Richards shared with me in those five minutes changed my life forever. He told me he started each day no matter where he was, before he ever got out of bed, by talking to God. Although at times he knelt in respect for God, it was more important to be comfortable while praying. “If I kneel in the cold on a hard floor,” he said, “it will be a short prayer. But if I am comfortable, God and I can talk together for a much longer time.”

Family worship and most public worship should include kneeling down in reverence for God, he reminded me, but most of his prayer and study time was spent in a comfortable chair. Then at night, he closed the day by getting comfortable in bed, and falling asleep talking to God. “Sometimes that goes on for quite a long time, other times it is shorter. I let God decide how long to keep me awake,” he said. “A comfortable position in private prayer is the most important thing for extended conversation.”

I realized the other day when someone else was talking about the influence of Richards on their life, that a simple sharing of his personal prayer life impacted me as well. For over 40 years now, I have followed this approach. I begin and end the day in the comfort of bed talking to my best Friend. Maybe that is why I have never had trouble falling asleep. Yes, it is good to kneel at times in respect for Him. But I find the most comfortable chair I can for extended prayer and study.

“True reverence for God is inspired by a sense of His infinite greatness and a realization of His presence. With this sense of the Unseen, every heart should be deeply impressed. The hour and place of prayer are sacred, because God is there; and as reverence is manifested in attitude and demeanor, the feeling that inspires it will be deepened. 'Holy and reverend is His name,' the psalmist declares [111:9]. Angels, when they speak that name, veil their faces. With what reverence, then, should we, who are fallen and sinful, take it upon our lips!” (Gospel Workers, p.178).

“The reason why so many are left to themselves in places of temptation is that they do not set the Lord always before them. When we permit our communion with God to be broken, our defense is departed from us. … Cultivate the habit of talking with the Saviour when you are alone, when you are walking, and when you are busy with your daily labor. Let the heart be continually uplifted in silent petition for help, for light, for strength, for knowledge. Let every breath be a prayer” (Ministry of Healing, p. 510-511).

For more information on this subject see Selected Messages, vol. 3, pages 266-270.

Yours for a richer prayer life,

Tom Mostert, President

Pacific Union Conference

P.O. Box 5005

Westlake Village, CA 91361