Prayer

I consider myself a prayer warrior. I may not have an hour carved out each day to spend in prayer, but I consider myself in continual prayer throughout the day. I pray all throughout the day every day. I know that God wants to have a relationship with me and not just in a certain hour of the day everyday. I talk to my closest friends sometimes several times a day. If I am not on the phone with them then I am instant messaging or emailing them! That is why they are my closest friends! I have constant dialogue with them. Why then should I not have a constant dialogue with my heavenly father?

I used to feel an extreme amount of guilt because I had this belief of what prayer time should look like. To me the perfect prayer time would be waking up early in the morning and spending an hour in prayer, and reading my bible, keep in mind I am a night owl. I am a little like Martha in the Bible, I have lots to do—office work, writing projects, scrapbook projects and deadlines, laundry, mom’s taxi, tutor, substitute teacher, cooking, cleaning. I have always had this dream of starting my days out with prayer and devotion time and then feel guilty because it doesn’t happen. Then one day God revealed to me that while spending an hour in prayer every morning is fabulous, there is nothing wrong with my prayer life.

I do in fact start my days in prayer. Before I get out of bed each morning I say a little prayer , usually something along this line, "thank you Lord for this day. Please bless me and my family. Put a hedge of protection around us. Let your will be done in each of our lives today. Let us focus on you amidst everything else that we will do." The Lord delights in my prayers even if they are short ones! Scripture says he "inclines his ear" and is "open to hear" my prayers (Psalm 40:1 34:15). I am so thankful to have that guilt washed away and very thankful for the realization that the Lord encourages continual prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17). No more thoughts of But I can't pray long enough, or If I can't pray one hour, then why pray? God used short prayers to accomplish huge things in the bible, such as parting the red sea! It's wonderful to have longer sessions of prayer when I can, but remembering that my short prayers can have a big impact encourages me to pray throughout the day.

Here is what my continual dialogue of prayer with the Lord kinda looks like! I pray a short prayer before I get out of bed. While I get breakfast for my children I pray for them. When I buckle up in the car I also pray for safety and the path to be prepared before me. Often times I see something that prompts me to pray. For example, when I pass by a school I ask God to protect the students and to give all the teachers wisdom. When I see a wreck I immediately pray for the people in it and for the doctors at the hospital. Seeing something beautiful reminds me to pray a prayer of thankfullness for Gods creations. Anytime that I think of a friend or someone who has been sick I send a prayer up for them. When I am heading to a meeting I pray for favor with those at the meeting, wisdom, discernment and blessings. When someone cuts me off on the road, jumps in front of me in line, or does something else equally as rude I have trained myself to calm down and say a prayer for them. When I have a dream about someone I say a prayer for them. If I wake up in the night and have someone on my mind I say a prayer for them. If I am getting ready to write an article I pray that God will give me the words. I kinda just pray all the time without even realizing it most of the time....that is just the kind of relationship I have with my heavenly father!

When I do find longer portions of time for prayer I often find my mind will wander. I read an article in Christian Womens magazine that gave me a tool for counteracting my wandering mind! I use the acronym B-L-E-S-S as I pray for my family and friends. Each letter in the acronym stands for a key area of life: Body, Labor, Emotional, Social, and Spiritual.

For example, when Brooke went from homeschooling to starting 7th grade in the public school, I prayed:
"Lord, bless Brooke’s body; strengthen and protect her during school. Bless her labor; help her to pay attention,learn, and do her best. Give her wisdom. Bless Brooke’s emotional life; help her trust and look to you for guidance in everything. Father, bless Brooke’s social relationships; bring her Christian friends and teachers at school. And bless her spiritual life; help her draw near to you and your Word more and more each day."

Prayer is how I know God, not just know about him; it's how I hear God. Time after time, when I pour out my problems, burdens, and concerns, I experience his peace, hope, love and faithfulness more clearly. I experience his comfort in trials, his unfailing love as I see him provide for the needs that I've prayed.

E.M. Bounds, a 19th-century pastor, said, "Your prayers will outlive your life." Long after my address has changed to heaven, the short prayers I've said while cooking dinner, working on the computer, or moving throughout my day, still will be a blessing to those for whom I've prayed.