Growing up my family sat down for dinner together every night at 5pm. My father would ask my sister or I to pray, and it really didn’t matter which one did because we both always prayed the same prayer.
“Dear God thank you for this food and our family and please help every one who is sick and in the hospital.”
It’s a wonder my dad never said anything about it because I’m pretty sure it wasn’t altogether that sincere.
God communicates with us through the Bible and the Holy Spirit. We communicate with God through prayer. Prayer is not only helpful, it’s necessary. If you had a friend that kept reaching out to you and you never did so in return, odds are you will not be friends for very long. You will not know them and they will not know you. It isn’t any different with God.
Romans 12:12 says to be constant in prayer.
Matthew 9:38 says pray earnestly.
First Thessalonians 5:17 says pray without ceasing.
I tend to think of prayer as a formality. It is a big mistake to pray this way and I find when I fall in to this trap, I am not being very sincere. Prayer should be personal and intentional. It is also something we should not take lightly. Have you ever had a friend tell you something and you have responded “I will be praying for you”, knowing full well you have no intention of doing it? I find myself doing this often and it is so irresponsible of me.
I have to admit prayer is one thing I’m not all too comfortable with. I have a very hard time with it. I find it hard to focus and not let my mind wander to other things during prayer. If I’m by myself, prayer can all too quickly turn in to a mental to do list. If I’m in a group, I tend to focus on what I am going to pray when it’s my turn and by doing so I am not listening to the prayers of others.
Once as an adult I was asked to pray prior to a meal with family. We were all having lunch and then going to the Fiesta Bowl Parade in downtown Phoenix. About half way through the prayer I started to get tongue tied and felt stupid with what I was saying, so I ended my prayer with, “And dear God, please don’t let any balloon characters get out of control and take us out in the crowd.” Everyone laughed and I felt redeemed. In reality, I made a mockery out of my prayer and therefore out of God. There is a fine line between humorous prayers and humorous praying.
The other day I was at my parent’s house and my dad disappeared into the garage. He was out there for a while and I started to get worried thinking maybe he fell or something. I asked my mom if we should check on him and she said no, that he goes out there a lot just to pray. He just needed a little alone time with God and so he went to his spot where he could focus and pray intentionally. I think this is a great idea. Since then, I have taken to spending my prayer time on my front porch swing. It’s a cozy and semi-private spot and as I sit on the swing, it’s like God is there with me.
Here are some great quotes I found regarding prayer:
“Some people pray just to pray and some people pray to know God”
“There is a mighty difference between saying prayers and praying.”
“Wishing will never be a substitute for prayer”
“Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?”
“When I pray, coincidences happen, and when I don’t pray, they don’t.”
“Pray and let God worry.”
“Courage is fear that has said its prayers.”
Find a spot you can share with God this week and have a converstation. Do it often and make it count! Have a great week!!
**At the Dollar store I was in line with 30 items and there were long lines. The lady behind me had 3 items so I let her go in front of me. Small but kind.**
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