Prayer is one of the biggest parts of preparing for the race. Recently I have been really thinking about the importance of prayer and how God tells us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). I have been in constant prayer about many things concerning the race and would greatly appreciate my friends and family praying for me as well.
This journey started with prayer. About two years ago I was attending church, and I remember feeling very disconnected. I was lacking in community and knew that to grow my relationship deeper with God I needed to find a way to get more involved. I simply asked God to give me an opportunity to serve Him within my church. Shortly after asking Him, I watched as He opened up so many doors to allow me to serve right around me. My relationship with God began to grow way more than I could imagine. My hunger just began to grow more and more, and I knew without a doubt that God was calling me into something way deeper than I could ever imagine.
For me, prayer is the most intimate way I get to know God. I hate spilling my guts, telling people my life story, or revealing my struggles to other people. I’m just not a big talker or maybe I allow fear to get in the way of vulnerability. The awesome thing is when I pray I become at peace with myself and everything around me. Prayer creates a space that cannot be replicated. At any time, in any moment, I can enter the presence of God and rest there. Lord knows that I am not perfect, and I have many struggles. It’s a good thing my salvation is not based on anything I have done but everything Jesus has done.
C.S. Lewis could not have said it better: “I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time- waking and sleeping. It does not change God- it changes me.” I love that I can be in constant communication with God at all times.
Prayer is the most powerful tool we have as Christians. We can simply lay our worries, burdens, thoughts, dreams, concerns, and selves at the feet of the Creator and know that He will take care of it. This journey is going to be so amazing but also very challenging, and it will take a lot of faith. I hope you will join me in prayer. Pray for the hearts of the people that I encounter. Pray that the Lord moves across South America through our team. Pray for my heart to be open. Pray for protection over our team. Pray that God uses us in so many ways and that we lose every ounce of ourselves and become more like Jesus.
