Can He heal the anxious heart, the overwhelmed soul, the painful circumstance? Yes, He can but sometimes it doesn’t look the way that we would expect. Jesus wants to be a part of your every day life, not just a prayer in the morning or evening, or before a meal… He cares less about the structured form we so easily find ourselves in and more about our hearts turned to Him in prayer.
Philippians 4:4-7:
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Prayer is more than a tradition… more than fancy words. Prayer is our line of communication with God.
I think we have so often made prayer to be this ritual that has to be done in a certain way, at a certain time, in a certain place. But I see it more as a way in which we allow God to be a part of our daily lives… a part of our every struggle, every need, every desire and more than anything, allowing Him to shape us as we listen to His “still small voice.”
There are often times throughout my day where prayer is found not as this long said out speech but rather, a thank you, an out cry, a reminder to trust Him even in the things that I can’t explain. I’ve found the beauty in the reality that God hears even the smallest heart cry, but in sharing my day with Him, thus, communicating with Him throughout my day, I’m reminded that He’s with me every step of the way. He is THE ever present God.
I think we can often miss seeing God all around us because we have forgotten to make Him a part of the everyday journey.
My prayer is that in everything that we do, may we know His presence, the fullness of His love, and His unending faithfulness as we constantly turn to Him.
We are called to live a life with Jesus at the centre and if we say that He is at the centre, yet never communicate with Him… and I mean truly communicate with Him, then I think we are missing the point. I’ve been reminded that although He knows my every thought, He still desires us to come to Him openly and seek Him in everything.
My desire is that in every way, I might call on Him first… therefore that often looks like coming to Him at my best and at my worst. He already knows my heart, yet there is power in coming to Him and seeking Him in those things. It’s like we step into this act of obedience as we ask for His wisdom, knowing that He holds us, He holds it all, He is worth entrusting our daily joys and struggles to.
So, what’s the point of all that I’ve said here today you ask, well, it’s this:
Prayer isn’t a tradition, it’s not just a thing that we do because scripture says it, it’s a heart pursuit. Knowing that we want to experience a deeper level of intimacy with the ONE who created us.
Dear one, I don’t know how you have felt about prayer in your daily life, but I want to encourage you that in this coming week,
Make prayer more than just an after thought.
Make prayer your mission this week and see how that changes your life. While your driving to work, while you’re cooking dinner, while you’re dealing with hard things,
Sing out to God,
Cry out to God,
Say the things that are on your heart to Him.
It has changed my life and I know it will do the same for you.
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