Call it weird. Call it rare. Regardless of what you call it, there are some peculiar fears that possess individuals, phobias that go far beyond fearing snakes, spiders, and darkness. For instance, there is …
- Arachibutyrophobia (Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth)
- Arithmophobia (Fear of numbers – a fear most school aged kids must have)
- Plutophobia (Fear of money)
- Xanthophobia (Fear of the color yellow – why would anyone be afraid of a color? Look out! Here comes a school bus!)
- Ablutophobia (Fear of bathing)
- Octophobia (Fear of the number eight)
- Globophobia (Fear of balloons)
- Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia (Fear of long words)
- Ephebiphobia (Fear of adolescents)
- Omphalophobia (Fear of belly buttons – I’ll bet that classic Veggie Tales song put these people over the edge!)
- Ergophobia (Fear of work – there’s a whole bunch of society that has this fear)
- Phobophobia (Fear of phobias)
There is another fear that received a name in 2008. It is nomophobia. Lots of individuals seem to be afflicted with this malady.
“The term NOMOPHOBIA or NO MObile PHone PhoBIA is used to describe a psychological condition when people have a fear of being detached from mobile phone connectivity… Various psychological factors are involved when a person overuses the mobile phone, e.g., low self-esteem, extrovert personality. The burden of this problem is now increasing globally. Other mental disorders like, social phobia or social anxiety, and panic disorder may also precipitate NOMOPHOBIC symptoms…The signs and symptoms are observed in NOMOPHOBIA cases include- anxiety, respiratory alterations, trembling, perspiration, agitation, disorientation and tachycardia…The complexity of this condition is very challenging to the patients’ family members as well as for the physicians as NOMOPHOBIA shares common clinical symptoms with other disorders. That’s why
NOMOPHOBIA should be diagnosed by exclusion. We have to stay in the real world more than virtual world. We have to re-establish the human-human interactions, face to face connections. So, we need to limit our use of mobile phones rather than banning it because we cannot escape the force of technological advancement.”1
While you may scoff at such a diagnosis, believing it is contrived, just look around you the next time you are at a restaurant or at a doctor’s office waiting room. People of all ages are glued to their phones as they play games, check social media, post pics, text, or scroll. It seems that as soon as we are seated, the phones come out and the thumbs go into overdrive. Connectivity is a supreme need and if there is no signal or Wi-Fi, the disconnect throws us into a panic and we will change seats or do whatever is necessary to get a single bar of reception.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were so needy of this kind of connection to the Lord through prayer?
Think about something and answer honestly. How long does it take in the morning before you are talking with God? And how much gap is there between conversations with Him throughout the day?
Romans 12 gives some great, simple sermons in one-line bursts. Romans 12:12 says, “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer…” Thayer’s Greek Dictionary gives a broad definition of “continuing instant” which is one word in the original language. 1) to adhere to one, be his adherent, to be devoted or constant to one 2) to be steadfastly attentive unto, to give unremitting care to a thing 3) to continue all the time in a place 4) to persevere and not to faint 5) to show one’s self courageous for 6) to be in constant readiness for one, wait on constantly
Makes you think that we are supposed to hunger for that connectivity, doesn’t it?!?
Consider the teaching of Philippians 4:6-7. “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” You cannot have the blessings of verse 7 without the practice 
of verse 6. Peace follows prayer, not the other way around.
I think I’m going to invent a word. Noprayliphobia. NO PRAYer LIfe Phobia. The fear of not having a prayer life. Do you suppose it will catch on? As a Christian, I want to fear missing out on that connectivity in prayer to God through Jesus. I don’t want to grow passive and complacent about my prayer life. Please, God, forgive me that I don’t pray with more urgency and frequency!!!
Prayer was the heartbeat of the early church. It’s been the heartbeat of great Christians in our church history. May that be said of us as well.
“Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.” (Acts 12:5)
1https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6510111/
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