So low key, I’m mean. I get it from my grandma.
However, knowing that I’m mean, I pray about my meanness often. Often meaning every morning. If I don’t pray in the morning, the people around me will suffer. Therefore, I have an obligation to pray every morning.
Phil 4:6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.
Based on how my day goes, I can tell whether or not I prayed. If I didn’t pray, I’m irritable and well, mean. If I find myself randomly getting agitated throughout the day, I’ll take some time to retrace my steps and figure out where it all went wrong. Usually I try to figure out who annoyed me or if I’m still mad that someone cut me off in traffic but all roads always lead back to the fact that I did not pray. At that point, I have an obligation to pray right then and there.
Prayer has become one of the most important aspects of my life. I can’t function without it. Yes, I fall off for a few days but I always return to prayer. I can’t function without God. Prayer keeps me in communication. However, it’s hard to pray all the time. It’s a habit that’s developed over time, one that I’ve yet to perfect and probably never will. But I do understand the importance of remaining in constant communication with God. I can’t function on my own and when I don’t pray, that’s the first indicator that I’m trying to do life on my own.
“Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one’s weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” -Mahatma Ghandi
Prayer is one of the first steps to developing a relationship with God. You can’t have a relationship without communication. And communication isn’t a one-way street. Don’t only go to God with your prayer petitions and requests. Thank Him in the good times and seek Him for guidance and direction. Stop waiting until your life is embroiled with chaos and you need deliverance. Make prayer apart of your daily life.
Prayer strengthens you. It strengthens your spiritual life, it strengthens your relationship with God, it strengthens your faith. As you pray, you start to see God working in your life. You realize things are not happening by chance but God is moving things and orchestrating them on your behalf. Prayer allows you to observe God’s hand moving in your life and see that He hears you. Most importantly, it allows you to hear from Him. Too often, we want to tell God what we want and ask give Him requests but more than often, He’s wants to talk to us. God has a plan for our life but unless we pray and seek His guidance, we’ll never live the life He intended for us.
1 Thessalonians 5:17: Never stop praying
Pray before your day starts. Yes, you have a to-do list but how does God want you to spend your day? Our sole purpose is to give God glory. How can you go about doing that daily? God has a purpose for your life. He has a plan just for you. Have you asked Him about it?
We spend time unnecessarily chasing after the wrong dream all because we didn’t ask God. We see lifestyles that we would love to have. Relationships and cars and wealth we want so bad and spend all of our time and energy trying to obtain these things that God never intended for us in the first place. Because God loves us, He gives us what we want only for us to realize it did not bring us the pleasure and joy we expected. Then and only then do we finally turn to God and seek His plan for our life.
But what if we did that now? What if we stopped right now and asked God what He wants to do with our lives and how we can best serve Him while we are here on earth? What if we woke up every morning and prayed?
As for me, when I pray, I’m nicer. My days tend to go a bit smoother and even if they don’t, I remember whose I am and don’t revert to my mean self because it’s still in me but showing people the God in me is more important than my ego and giving into my flesh. Prayer saves me from myself and saves you from me.
As always, take what you need and leave the rest.
