When do you pray?
We just finished Lacey Rozell’s “What if We Pray” bible study in our neighborhood and as I sit here this evening, I am thinking about some of the changes in me from this study. I have not been shy in sharing that I have had a significant transformation in my faith as it has grown/evolved from a belief in God to a relationship with God. With my growth, I have become more bold in expressing my faith. I pray before meals, even in public places and work. I speak openly about my faith, my prayer life, my beliefs. I send prayer quilts from our church ministry when I hear of those that are undergoing medical issues regardless if I know if they are believers (I’ve not had one rejected!) When I thought of the question when do you pray, my answer is simple-when don’t I pray?
When the study began, I challenged myself to set aside intentional time in the morning and to start everyday on my knees, before I do anything else, and to pray out loud. This habit has now become my norm, whether I am in the comfort of my home or traveling. I used to pray in my head as I ran around with the morning tasks of working out, waking the girls for school, getting ready for work, second waking of girls for school, prepping breakfast/lunch, and all rushing out the door. Somewhere in all that, along with feeding and taking care of three dogs, I would say my prayers in my head. I realized that, much like a lot of my life, this fell under the category of multi tasking. It’s no different than me checking email, making lists, and doing other tasks while I am conducting one on one meetings online. My employee deserves my undivided attention, and so does God. So, I changed. I now start my day with intentional focused time with God and I have seen a difference. Have you ever noticed the clouds in the sky or the leaves on the trees? The smell in the air as the wind blows? When we are so focused on getting things done and multi tasking, we miss all that is going on around us. I see the sky every morning, I smell the air when I walk out my door, I am present in the moment and I start my day and end my day with thanks and with God.
Our last home football game that Rob and I attended was the game against Tampa Bay. We stayed until the very end and remained in our seats to let the crowd die down and it allowed me to witness a moment I would have missed. The game is done, the Panthers won, and in the middle of the field, players from each team knelt together in prayer. I don’t know if this happens every game (I rarely stay until the end), but it happened that day. It was an intense and hard fought game on both sides, and at the end, this group of men came together to worship. How amazing is that?
“The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God want us to live” (1 Timothy 2:1-3, Message).
Today, I pray that you see that “when you pray” does not matter. I pray that you pray with intent and not as an additional “task” of the day. I pray that you pray often and with thanksgiving of the Blessings in your life. I pray that you live simply, that you see the clouds in the sky, and smell the air and in doing so are reminded each and everyday of God’s miraculous works on this earth.
