Prayer Is Our Link to God

"I knelt to pray but not for long,
I had too much to do.
I had to hurry and get to work For bills would soon be due.
So I knelt and said a hurried prayer, And jumped up off my knees.
My Christian duty was now done My soul could rest at ease.
All day long I had no time To spread a word of cheer.
No time to speak of Christ to friends, They'd laugh at me I'd fear.
No time, no time, too much to do, That was my constant cry,
No time to give to souls in need But at last the time, the time to die.
I went before the Lord, I came, I stood with downcast eyes.
For in his hands God held a book; It was the book of life.
God looked into his book and said "Your name I cannot find.
I once was going to write it down... But never found the time"

Why is praying so difficult for some of us? We can remember to set the alarm clock the night before so we won't be late for work. We remember the time and channel of the big game next weekend. Without fail, we remember to swing by Starbuck's in the morning. But when it comes to prayer...not so much.

You might hear this lack of prayer referred to as prayerlessness. Sounds kind of ominous, doesn't it? Don't worry, it's not that uncommon. Prayerlessness isn't due to our being clueless. We know that prayer is important and should be a priority in our lives.

But, maybe for you, it's a struggle to find even a few minutes a day to talk with God. Maybe you find that there's too much on your mind to even start to pray. But somewhere deep, down inside of you know that you really do need prayer, and the relief that it brings.

For most believers, we know that prayer really works! There's no lack of testimony from those who pray diligently. How many times have we heard that "prayer is powerful?" It truly is!

Perhaps the reason that stymies your prayer life is the concept of talking to an "invisible" God, After all, he seldom answers immediately, or out loud. On top of that, praying is hard work! What if I told you that even the apostle Paul grappled with prayer. In fact, he pleaded with the Christians in Rome to "strive together with me in your prayers" (Romans 15:30).

It's important to know that what applies to any personal relationship, applies to your relationship with God. It must be carefully tended to and managed. If you want to develop a strong relationship with Our Lord, it's imperative that you spend time with Him. There are no shortcuts!

Spending time communicating with God means "prayer." This is crucial to keeping our relationship with Him alive and active. Without moments of close and sincere sharing, your connection will begin to crumble and eventually cease, Don't let this happen. Pray! He's waiting to hear from you.

Scripture: John 15:7; Philippians 4:6; Mark 11:24; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Matthew 6:9-13

Prayer: My dear Jesus, forgive me for being inconsistent in my prayers to You. And, even though You know what my thoughts are before I do; You're always a loving, patient and gracious listener. I pray for help in this area; that I will be better about talking with You.

God bless you!

Erica