Prayer

Prayer

            "Yesterday I talked to God, had a conversation. Told him I was sorry I lost communication…" That line from the One Republic song Human has always been interesting, especially recently. Prayer is something that is consistently emphasized in the Christian walk. I hear time and time again how important prayer is. Prayer is an open line of communication with God. We can tell Him the good and the bad in our lives, thank Him for the blessings He has given us and ask for guidance and revelation in our lives. God created us to have community with Him, and each other, in order to grow. It seems, at least to me, that we have the community with others down pretty well. However, when it comes to speaking with God, I feel inconsistent. Why is it so hard for me to pray? It isn't like I don't need to. I have enough joy, sorrow, praise, and request to bring to the Lord every night. But I usually just keep them to myself, maybe share with some friends if I feel extra burdened. I know my help comes from the Lord, and He will guide me better than anyone can, so why don't I talk to Him more? I would say I use the excuse of being "too busy" to stop and pray. It used to be running to classes, trying to get homework done, hanging out with friends, and maybe even squeeze in some sleep while I was in college. Now I have to get up early, get dress, go to work for eight hours and when I come home I'm exhausted. Everything in life seems so fast paced and doesn't give time to slow down and talk to others. It's not like I can send God a text or a DM to update Him on my life like I do with friends. But just like I stop and plan time to talk to friends face to face and spend time with them, I need to plan time to talk to God.

            I remember when I was around twelve or thirteen I got a prayer journal with a Barlow Girl CD. I decided I would write my prayers in it every day, like a letter to God. The end of the day would be my designated time to do this, this was my prayer time. I remember that being a good year for me, not because nothing happened. In fact, that was a difficult year for my family, we had a lot going on and some uncertainty. However, I still felt a lot of peace during this time. The constant prayer was what gave me that peace. Coming to God every day with the good and the bad of the day was comforting. Even though I wasn't sending these "letters" I knew He heard these things from me. Knowing that made me feel safe in His hands. I even saw Him working in my and my family's life that year. That confirmed for me that prayer worked, that I was heard and that I was loved. I need that confirmation as much now as I did then. I decided to give myself a challenge, to pray every day for the next thirty days. I'm aiming to pray in the morning but I'll probably pray at night too. I'm off to a good start I prayed when I woke up today and only dozed off twice. Well, the dozing off wasn't good, but I won't let that stop me. While I try to recreate this habit of prayer in my life, I look forward to seeing how God moves. I know I'll still have a lot going on in life, but I will be comforted by Philippians 4:6, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Let's pray, for my sake, I don't get too distracted or fall asleep.