You may have seen my verse-a-day calendar on my counter top in the front office. It sits behind whatever little plant I’m trying desperately to keep alive. A recent verse was 1 Thessalonians 5:17. In the King James Version, it reads, “Pray without ceasing.” Three simple words, and yet they hold so much complexity.
I remember when I was growing up, my mom made up a song about putting on the armor of God. We sang it every day on the way to school. To this day, I still remember the song and sometimes sing it to myself, especially if I’m anticipating a particularly stressful day. I do the hand motions too. Yes, I said hand motions.
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to fall into a ritualistic habit of prayer? To only pray before a meal or before we go to bed or during a church service or when we really want something. I imagine very few of us think about praying throughout the day, at least not in the traditional sense of the word prayer. The Bible provides guidance about what praying looks like but when you boil it down, how you pray is between you and God.
I used to put a lot of pressure on myself that my prayers had to be of a certain significance or length or depth. In my adult years, though, I’ve come to realize that a prayer is just a conversation.
“Hey God, I’m having a rough day. Please help me get through it.”
“Dear Lord, thank you for helping me through that job interview.”
“Holy Father, please heal my Aunt. Help her to feel your peace.”
Those are prayers. I forget sometimes that I can literally talk to God about anything and everything. And He wants me to. No pressure, no pretense, no prerequisites. God wants you to come to Him as you are. Technically, He already knows what you’re thinking, but prayer isn’t about disclosure, it’s about connecting.
During this Lenten season, we extend our morning assembly. This morning, Mrs. Twomey read a passage from 1 Samuel 3. It was a story about how God called to Samuel while he was sleeping. Samuel had never heard the voice of God before so he thought it was Eli calling to him. After a while, Eli encouraged Samuel to go back and lie down and just listen.
No relationship can survive without communication. Prayer is how we communicate to God. It’s just an opportunity to talk to God; it’s also a time to listen. It’s how we connect with Him and allow Him to be a part of our day. What’s going on in your head today? Good or bad, He wants to hear about it.