I spent the morning walking around Charlotte and praying over our city. I try to make this a part of my weekly routine. I love putting my iPod on, listening to worship songs and simply praying for the people, my friends, our church and whatever else is on my heart at the moment as I walk.

The thought hit me today as I was walking around: Prayer is counterintuitive.

The fact is that I have a ton to get done today. Worship night tonight at 7pm. Preaching on Sunday. Emails to answer. Meeting at 10:30am with another pastor in town. Lots of stuff going on. However, I have found over and over again that time spent with God is exponentially more effective than every best effort I can make. It seems like I should be going at everything else, but God calls me away to simply walk and pray.

I’m not saying to neglect the responsibilities of preparation, answering e-mails and keeping your commitments, etc. I am saying, however, that prioritizing time spent with God and time in prayer will always be more effective than not.