Prayer.
We know it works, yet it is often hard to discipline our minds to do it. We know we need it in our lives, but have trouble finding the time amidst the cares of life.
I can’t pinpoint the exact moment that I realized the importance of prayer in our daily lives, but I do recall several experiences that left a profound impression on me growing up. I was blessed to be raised by godly parents that endeavored to keep a prayerful atmosphere in our home. Many times growing up, I would wake up during the night to find either my mom or dad kneeling by my bed, praying over me as a slept. As a little girl, I can remember the sense of peace and security that I felt as a result. However, I wasn’t always as pleased to be awoken in the wee hours of the morning for family prayer and devotion time!
I can remember one time in particular where I saw God move in a mighty way. I was seven years old, and we had just moved to a new town and house. My father is a pastor, so one afternoon he drove over to the church to study and pray — a common occurrence. However, something was different this time. I began to feel uneasy the minute he walked out the door. For the next hour or two I felt this sense that something was wrong, something I had never felt before and couldn’t explain. I knelt on my knees and said, “Lord, please protect my daddy. I feel like something bad is going to happen to him. Let Your guardian angels surround Him. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” A few minutes later, we got a phone call from my dad. To make a long story short, he had been put in a very dangerous situation and could have been either seriously injured or killed that evening. It may sound outlandish or strange, but I believe that God layed that burden on my heart and heard my prayers that evening.
More recently, I had been praying about a situation for sometime. After a year or two, I had begun to wonder if it was ever going to work out. Then seemingly overnight, God moved in a miraculous way! Once again, I praised Him that He does hear us when we call on His name.
As I have grown older, I have begun to see that communion with God in prayer is my lifeline. I may not get to pray two hours everyday, but even fifteen minutes of focused time with Jesus makes all the difference. I don’t pretend to be a great prayer warrior, or to have all the answers, or that my prayer life is all it should be. But I am striving, day by day, to have a closer relationship with the Lord. And I know that each and everyone one of us want that!
God may not always answer our prayers in the way we would like or expect, but rest assured that He does hear each and every one of them! Someone once told me, His answer may be yes, it may be no, or it may be that He has something better in mind than what we could even imagine! Keep praying. He hears you, even when you think no one is listening.
As I’ve learned and experienced, prayer is an essential element in our walk with God as Christians. Today is Monday, a beautiful day to incorporate this aspect of the Christian life into your everyday experience. Develop your relationship with Jesus through prayer and be intentional about making it apart of your daily routine.