“I’ll pray for you…you’re in my prayers…”
Many of us have said those words to people in passing, and then in the midst of this worldly life, have forgotten to accompany those words with actual heartfelt prayer. And many of us have been on the flip side of those phrases, the reciprocates, wondering if those kind individuals are actually praying for us, laying our requests before the Lord.
I’ve been there, done that. I’ll be honest, I’ve said I would pray for someone and then I didn’t – out of busyness, weariness, apathy, laziness, selfishness, forgetfulness, and many other limp excuses… I’m sincerely sorry for those times where I have not prayed for you.
My prayer life down right stinks sometimes. Three words that come to mind when I think about the present state of my personal prayer life: lackadaisical, sporadic, and half-hearted. I don’t always set a time apart each day for the Lord, to be solely with him, leaving behind the excess noise of the world so I can hear His voice in my life more clearly.
*DISCLAIMER* I want this to change! I want to be committed to my communication with God, continuous, constant. I want to get off the roller coaster and walk firmly in a path of prayer with Jesus.
Maybe some of you can relate to this…
It’s that prayers never end, they go on and on, my friend. And lately, that’s overwhelmed me, so I’ve avoided it. Buzzzzz, wrong answer!!
Once I get started praying, placing my requests, asking for guidance, praising God with thanksgiving for all my blessings, it turns into one great big run on sentence regarding all the little and big things that make up my daily life and those around me…. so when does my prayer end?
IT DOESN’T. And that’s the point. The Bible references multiple times that we should be faithful in prayer, constantly in communication with our Lord. In everything we do.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 12:12 (NIV)
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
BIG or SMALL, GOD WANTS IT ALL! And He wants us to pray for others, lifting up their requests as well. There is POWER in PRAYER! Believe it! Live it!
Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
Sometimes it is hard, but God calls us to be diligent and disciplined in our prayer life.
Colossians 4:2 (ESV)
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”
God knows your heart, He hears your cries, and when we don’t have the words, He intercedes for us. So those times where you lift yourself or someone up in prayer, but don’t know what to say, it’s okay. God knows. He understands.
Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”
To wrap it up…
God loves you. He wants to HEAR from you daily, He wants to LISTEN to you, and He wants to RESPOND to you. (It doesn’t have to follow a certain formula, “Dear baby Jesus…amen.”) Your prayer life is personal, unique, and it is important!
God is ever present, always by your side, a 24/7 hotline. Call Him. Rely on Him, even when it’s hard. Satan and the things of this world will always be trying to distract you from getting closer to God. Ask God for help. He’s willing and able.
There are prayers full of words, and prayers without words. There are quick prayers and long prayers. There are easy prayers and hard prayers. There is the Lord’s Prayer. God hears all the types of prayers that spring from your heart. Strive to keep your heart in line with God all the day long, communicating, listening, responding.
PRAY! JUST DO IT! ALL DAY, EVERY DAY!
