At the Heart of Relationship with Matt Maher
An Often-overlooked Aspect of Christian Life
During an interview with Family Life Radio, Matt Maher, a revered contemporary Christian music artist, shared his insights on a crucial but often overlooked aspect of the Christian life.
“When we talk about the Christian life … one of the most obvious things that actually often gets overlooked is prayer,” Matt shares. In our action-driven society, we tend to equate faith with doing. We volunteer, participate in church activities and immerse ourselves in devotional readings. While these are commendable actions, Matt reminds us that they shouldn’t eclipse the core of our faith journey—prayer.
In a society focused on producing results, it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that our faith is measured by our actions. “Right we live in a society that wants to produce actionable results. So even when we talk about faith, faith becomes more about doing,” Matt observes.
The Illusion of Action-oriented Faith
This perspective can lead to a sense of emptiness. “It’s not even necessarily doing things like feeding the poor, visiting people in prison or building houses on a mission trip,” Matt continues. “It becomes doing things like reading devotional books, going to a small group thing or volunteering at church.”
When our faith journey is reduced to a checklist of activities, we risk losing the essence of our relationship with God. Matt says, while “that stuff’s amazing, it’s not a replacement for prayer.”
Prayer stands as the heart of your relationship with God.
Matt continues, “Someone said, ‘Prayer is like oxygen.’ You can’t breathe as a Christian without it.”
To See and Be Seen
It’s a vital, life-giving conversation with God. Just as our bodies cannot survive without oxygen, our spirits cannot thrive without the sustenance of prayer. Our first and most vital action in any situation should be to seek Him in prayer.
Prayer is more than just speaking to God. Matt shares, “Utimately prayer is that conversation with God that leads to contemplation, which is allowing Him to see us as we are in Him, in His grace and allowing us to see a glimpse of how wonderful He is.”
David prayed, “Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—then guide me on the road to eternal life” (Psalm 139:23-24 MSG).
Prayer serves as a pathway to self-examination and transformation in God’s presence, where we encounter God’s grace and get a glimpse of His magnificence.
Prayer, Always Your Priority
So, how do we integrate this essential practice into our daily lives? Matt’s advice: “Never sacrifice a heart and a spirit for prayer for anything else.” Our challenge is to create space for this crucial conversation in our daily routine. This might mean waking up a few minutes earlier to spend time in prayer, or finding moments throughout the day to pause and reconnect with God.
As Christians, it’s essential to remember that our faith is not defined by the sum of our actions but by the depth of our relationship with God.
Activities like volunteering or attending church are important, but they should stem from a heart deeply rooted in prayer. In a world that often measures success by output, let’s remind ourselves of the immeasurable value of time spent in conversation with our Heavenly Father.
Want more? Check out our on demand resources
Family Life Radio is listener supported. Those who listen give to make the music and content possible to shine God’s love, peace and encouragement into hearts, revealing truths that direct people in the way they should go.
If you feel led to give a gift today to help others draw strength, gain wisdom and experience peace through Family Life Radio click here.