It’s easy to get sucked into a TV show and binge-watch it for hours. It’s not always easy to pray. But are you watching TV more than you’re praying? I’m guilty. We are called to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17) and to be “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” (Ephesians 6:18)
Sometimes we watch TV to avoid facing a problem. But the Bible tells us in James 5:13, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.” and to “not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)
Or we watch TV more than we pray because we simply don’t know any better. But James 1:5 tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
Watching TV more than we pray could be a result of not knowing how to pray. But Jesus gives us an example in Matthew chapter 6, “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
TV is not evil but unbalanced Christian values can lead us away from God. Focus on your prayer life more than what’s streaming on Netflix and you will see a difference in your relationship with God. I speak from experience.
“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” – James 5:16
Dawn DiFiore 