Prayer.
It's such a basic part of Christianity - and other religions, too.Even people that aren't religious randomly pray. Now, who do they think they're praying to? I have no idea.
But... I know who I'm praying to. The God, my God, the God that created the universe, is omniscient, is loving, is in total control, sent His Son to die for ME so that I can go to Heaven when I die. The One that I strive to live for every second of every day. The One who never ceases to amaze me with how much He loves me, and how He forgives me every time I screw up. How He's always with me and always will be..
Anyways, I could go on for years describing God. But I'm not going to - today, at least.
As I said earlier, prayer is a basic part of my faith. It's basic, but so important. And something that I don't know where I'd be without.
As a (really bad) analogy... Think of it like addition. 1 + 1 = 2. We all know this, we were taught this in elementary school. And at the time, it was cool, but after we realized that 2 + 2 = 4, and 5 + 6 = 11, it kinda got boring. We understood it, what more to it is there? And then you learned multiplication! 3 x 4 = 12! Which, when you dissect it, is really just 3 + 3 + 3 + 3! So, it went back to addition! And then you get into algebra, geometry, calculus, and all those other math classes.. And you started being able to apply it in all aspects of your life (I'm going on vacation for 7 days, so I need seven outfits: 7 pants + 7 shirts + 7 pairs of underwear = 21 items in my suitcase).. And science, medicine, accountants.. They'd be lost without the addition!
And we forget about how important that simple math action is because it comes so naturally. And if we hadn't learned it way back when, we would be totally lost today.
That's how prayer is - or should. So natural, so basic.. But so, so, soooo important!
In Sunday School, we always prayed to start and end the lesson. "Close your eyes and bow your head. Let's pray." We'd pray for sick kids that were missing, and pray for a good week. Before meals, my family would always pray "Thank You for this day, thank You for this food, and thank You for Daddy getting home safely. Please bless this food to our body's use." Not because it was our "scripted" prayer, but it was where we felt comfortable. Then as we got older, we'd add more to it, and personalize it. (Which, honestly, I think is how our relationship with Christ is for most people. You start wherever you start, and you develop your own relationship with Him over time)
But now, as an almost 22 year old, prayer is something that I hold so near, and so dear to my heart. And I think it's silly that it took me so long to get here.
The first verse that I think of when it comes to praying is simple, but important: 1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing".
I used to think that that concept was really hard to comprehend - how do you carry on a conversation with Someone that.. Well, to be honest, can be a little on the quiet side sometimes?
Yes, He may be quiet.. But boy, when He does talk.. Does He talk!
And people tend to forget.. It's not that He's not talking.. It's that we're not listening.
I do that a lot.
A while ago, I was having a night when I desperately needed to talk to the person who tends to know me the most - Craig. I called him, said hello, and started into my saga over whatever I needed advice on. I talked, talked, talked.. And when I finally stopped, he laughed, and told me that I had literally, literally, talked for 15 minutes straight. Without a single word from him.
And, believe it or not (gasp!) this is not the first time this has happened.
I don't feel guilty when I do that to Craig (he's used to it), but doing it to God? He's probably used to it (not just from me!), but boy, does He not deserve it!
I want to really focus on praying without ceasing. But, I also really want to focus on listening to Him.
Let Us Pray - Steven Curtis Chapman
Let us pray, let us pray, everywhere in every way
Every moment of the day, it is the right time
For the Father above, He is listening with love
And He wants to answer us, so let us pray
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