Vision & Passion

Growing up, good grades in school came very easily. As long as I read the lesson or listened to the lecture, and "A" was almost always guaranteed. I had made lower grades before, but a little extra work and the grade would be pulled back up. Then came a dreaded day. I brought home a "B". I promised to study and do better. Then, I came home with ANOTHER "B". Mom and Dad weren't over the top stern or angry, but they expected us to do our best. And anything other than an "A" wasn't our best. Following this second low grade, mom and dad conferred in their room the next afternoon. I was scared to death. Would I be grounded? From what? For how long?
They called me in and closed the door. This was it. Life as I knew it was over. They didn't ground me, they did worse: required me to spend exactly an hour every school day studying AFTER I had finished my regular school work. NOOOO!!! This was the end.
For the next two years, I was made to study at the allotted time. Low and behold! I made great grades. My first year in high school, I was no longer timed. Yet, I would spend anywhere between 1-3 hours studying. Who would've guessed that Mom and Dad actually knew what they were talking about.
There is a legitimate purpose for me sharing this story. I have been walking with Christ for almost 12 years now and studying His Word since I was 10 years-old. It's been one beautiful adventure and journey after the next. But this past summer, I started to plateau. Something was missing. I was still studying the Bible. Still striving to live according to it. But I lacked something. And up until now I haven't been ready or willing to take the next step. That step is prayer.
The world is filled with pastors and Christians that have a great knowledge of the Word. But even Satan quotes chunks of the Old Testament to Jesus when He fasted for 40 days. We know so much. Can define all the fancy terms. Can plan some astounding programs. But where is the vision? Where is the passion? When I say vision I don't mean man made plan, I mean God breathed design. And when I say passion, I certainly do not mean emotion that rises and falls like waves, but a fire that blazes continually within and spreads like wildfire. This vision and this passion can only come through prayer to the Author and Perfecter of our faith.
Now, I have a confession. There are times when I completely loath sitting still and trying to pray for more than ten minutes at a time. It's tedious and boring and I don't have time for it! But I decided to force myself to sit still and think of something to pray for. The first few times were tedious, like when my parents "forced" me to study an hour a day. As time has gone on, however, it's gotten both easier and pleasurable. It turns out that when I discipline myself in both studying and prayer, both become easier and even enjoyable. My favorite time to pray is driving alone in my car. I do a lot of driving throughout the week and when I arrive at my destination, I'm kind of disappointed that that time has come to a close. So if you ever drive past me and I appear to be talking to myself, have no fear. I'm not going insane.
Just today, I was driving home from an errand and felt the urge to pray for a friend for some things they might be feeling and experiencing. Then tonight, I was talking with them asking what they were up to and they explained that God had put something on their heart. The same something I had been praying about. And this thought came into their mind about the time I was praying. Coincidence? I would hardly say so.
Christians today should seek more than just a nice verse to warm their hearts. They should seek a vision from the Lord and a passion for it. It may be a vision for this week, or a lifetime plan. Either way, we can't know the Lord's will unless we truly seek it.