Friday Faith Check-up - "And So, Let Us Pray"

“God knows our situation; He will not judge us as if we had no difficulties to overcome. What matters is the sincerity and perseverance of our will to overcome them.”
~ C. S. Lewis

Whenever anyone brings up the topic of prayer in our daily lives they are sure to grab our attention. Prayer is very personal to each of us. The way we pray can be very diverse in style and manner. Most importantly, it's the most intimate connection that we have with God.

From time to time we may hear or read about the demise of prayer. Maybe you have even let prayer slowly slip away from your daily routine. The good news is that prayer is alive and well in the world. For example, according to a 2013 Pew Research Center survey, more than half (55%) of Americans said they pray every day,

Of course, 100% would be better, but if over half of the population is praying, I will take it! Like many of you, prayer was part of my daily routine as a child. I said my prayers every night before going to bed. As I grew older, my prayers became less frequent. My prayers even stopped for a time.

Why am I telling you this? I realize that life changes from day to day. One day you're up, and the next, well...you know! But, I want you to know that a prayer life doesn't just happen. It is developed, and then continues to grow over a lifetime. (I am happy to report that my prayer life is back on track!)

This might sound like there is a certain age when prayer should begin, but there isn't. You can start a daily prayer regimen at any age. God doesn't worry about qualifications or past history when it comes to prayer. Even if you've never prayed in your entire life, you can start today.

We have many ways to communicate today. Marvelous inventions enable us to exchange information faster, and more reliably than past generations. Our world is connected together by a vast network of processing chips, servers, and computer code. We can interact with one another almost anytime and anywhere.

But as incredible as all of this technology is, the best way to communicate with God is still through prayer. When we talk to God through prayer we don't have to worry about dropped calls, weak signals, or bad connections. Prayer is the most dependable line of communication to God there is, or ever will be!

Certainly, we can talk to God during our darkest moments. But, He also likes when we share, or update our lives with Him (James 4:8). Prayer can be an opportune time to confess our sin and ask for His help in overcoming it (Psalm 32:5). It also allows us to express our gratitude for His provision (Psalm 9:1).

We cannot overestimate the importance of  prayer. In fact, it is mentioned over 250 times in the Bible! In addition to those mentioned above, I believe the most important reasons to pray are: it is a personal gesture of worship and obedience (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18); and an admission as to who truly controls our lives (Isaiah 46:9-10; Daniel 4:17).

Wouldn't it be wonderful if one could simply pull up a chair and have a chat with God? We can! It's called praying. And, it's something that we should do on a daily basis. Unlike so many things in life, prayer will cost you nothing except a little time out of your day (Matthew 6:6). Isn't God worth it..?

Scripture: Jeremiah 33:3; 1 Timothy 2:5; Luke 11:9; Ephesians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Prayer: Dear God, may I always be joyful and full of faith, full of hope, full of patience; for your mercy leads me on. Amen

Have a blessed and safe weekend!

Kaye