A Prayer to Use Our Time Wisely - Your Daily Prayer - September 4

A Prayer for Time
By Pastor Jack Graham

“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” – James 4:14

I have a good friend who was sitting at a red light one day, and he began to contemplate how much time we spend sitting at red lights in our lifetime. The thought occurred to him that one of these days, after sitting at so many red lights, he’s going to die. They’ll put him in a box and drive his body down the street in a hearse, running every red light along the way.

So he thought, “How ironic. I’ll have to die to run red lights!”

I was thinking about that little thought not long ago, and I started to thank God for the “red lights” I hit in my daily life. Sometimes, they’re literally red lights. Other times, they’re people who stop me in the hallway because they need to talk. It’s those red lights that tell me I still have breath in my lungs, and I still have a mission to live for God’s purposes.

It’s easy to want to push-push-push our way through life, checking boxes only to make more lists. But what if we take more little blessing breaks in our lives and slow down a bit? Our lives would be much less stressful, and our relationships so much deeper. You’re never wasting time when you’re doing what God wants you to do.

Dear Lord, when our life on earth is done, may we stand before you and hear the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Father, we know our time on earth is but a few words in the cosmic story. Help us to use our time wisely, and leave our mark when our time is done. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

This devotional is an abridged version of How You Can Stop Wasting so Much Time by Pastor Jack Graham. To read the full devotional, follow this link.

Related Resource: Establishing a Routine of Rest

For a long time, rest felt less like a gift and more like a guilty indulgence — something to be earned, something to feel vaguely ashamed of, something that productive, faithful people did not really need. In a world that measures worth by output, the idea of stopping feels dangerously close to falling behind.

But what if rest is not optional? What if it was never meant to be? Tonight, lay down the hustle. Receive the gift. This is exactly what you were made for. Your Nightly Prayer is a daily Christian prayer podcast from the LifeAudio Podcast Network and Crosswalk.com. Each night, the team behind Crosswalk.com brings you a devotional and prayer to help you end your day in conversation with God. May these nightly prayers help you find the words to pray and focus your heart and mind on the love of God as you end your day. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!