I used to go days without praying, except the occasional prayer before bed or before a meal. My prayers were mostly thanking God for the things he’s given me. While it’s important to incorporate this practice in your prayer life, there is much more to prayer and the relationship you gain with God when you talk to him instead of at him. In the short month that I have been on the field I have learned how important it is to be in constant prayer throughout my days. The Lord is a provider and he wants to equip us with everything we need, he only wants us to ask. The way that we pray is very important. If we are asking for God to give us things rather than to let His will be done, our prayers mean nothing. It’s easy to let our prayer life become only about our life. This is not the intention the Lord had for his believers. this topic is further explained in “Prayer, Self Examination and Christian Catechesis in Augustine and Luther”. Matthew Drever states “The Lord’s prayer begins with our Father rather than my Father, which indicates that prayer is not intended for personal advantage but rather to incorporate the needs and voice of the entire Christian community.” This really puts things into perspective. For the longest time I thought that since we have a “personal” relationship with God that our prayers would reflect that. Something huge I have already learned on the World Race is the importance of praying for the people we are going to encounter, praying that the Lord would give US boldness so that we could share His love and wisdom. Praying for their family, for their personal relationship with the Father. This kind of selfless prayer is not something we just inherit but rather something we have to learn through studying The Word. Matthew Drever also says that “Prayer is a spiritual discipline with a communal and ethical component that has a place in Christian catechesis.” 1st Thessalonians 5:17 is a commandment from the Lord to apply to your prayer life. “pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” God’s will is never going to change because of a prayer we say or don’t say. The Lord’s will is constant, prayer is our way of acknowledging that and thanking Him for his unchanging Love for us. As Christians it is important that we “not only love God, but all of his creation. God gives us the privilege to live amongst everything and everyone that He created and it is important for us to be grateful and to share that gratefulness with Him and those around us. God loves when we pray powerful prayers, the world tells us that some prayers are too big or unattainable but I imagine that makes God laugh. There is nothing we could ask of The Lord that can’t be done. The hymn “Come, My Soul, Your Plea Prepare” the lyrics ” For his grace and power are such, None can ever ask too much.” When it comes to praying for the Lord’s will instead of your own, there’s absolutely nothing the Lord can’t do. If His grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking. After all the grace of God is the reason we get to live our lives in the first place, I feel like that deserves to be recognized every day of our life.
