Thursday, June 7, 2012

Daily Prayer

I have never really understood the importance of prayer. I know we are called to pray without ceasing. God also wants us to share our worries, sorrows, and joys with Him. But I have never felt the importance of it on a personal level or what praying without ceasing looks like.

This year at work I made a new friend, a dear friend. She has unknowingly encouraged me this year through her consistent prayer life. We have shared concerns for students and personal life struggles and prayed over those things together. It's a process, but I am learning the importance of consistent daily (hourly and minutely) prayer life.

The most recent occurrence has been a blow to my heart, soul, and spirit. A family who I love and cherish has a devastating spiritual battle being fought, and it is weighing on my heart. The only thing I know to do is pray. Praying is literally all I can do. I desire to offer more, but I have no powers in this situation or any for that matter. Only God has powers to heal, forgive, love, and call those to His glorious name. We can try all we want. We can do anything we want. But without the Lord's divine hand guiding us, it is in vain.

The first and most important thing we can offer ourselves and others is prayer.

I have learned over the past few weeks that the prayers we offer are so important. Not just the dinnertime prayer. Not the short bedtime prayer. But the fall on your knees before the God of the universe because we have nothing else to give prayers. When you begin to understand prayer as the first thing to turn to instead of the last, the Lord begins to change your heart and your desires. You don't want to just pray before a meal. You want to pray without ceasing. All the time. Because you want to tell your Father what is weighing on your heart or what is creating such joy in your life.

It doesn't make sense to me, that through others suffering, the Lord has taught me the necessity of prayer and formed my heart to look more like Him. He wants me to share everything with him no matter how seemingly important or insignificant.

I have started keeping a journal again of those that I am praying for. I encourage you to keep some sort of journal or place notecards around your house to remind yourself of certain friends who need prayer. I also had a friend who sat in her closet to talk to Jesus. It was the only place where she could get away from everything else and spend time with her Father.

Please share any other ideas that have worked for you to help your prayer life grow and mature.

I am so thankful my life belongs to Him.