Simply Prayer.
The other day, while riding back to school on the bus after a long day at a track meet, I started to pray. Like, really pray. Now you know, I pray before I eat, before I go to bed, and I try to remember to when I get up in the morning (although usually my brain is focused only on motivating me enough to get out of bed!). But this time, I really prayed. Do you ever have those moments where you're just like, "Wow.Wow.Wow. I have the privilege of talking to the Maker of the universe. The Lord of all creation. The Sovereign God. The One and Only. He knows how many hairs are on my head, and he knows what the little birds outside are doing. He cares.
I had one of those moments. It hit me just how blessed we are as Christians to have a God who loves us with an unconditional love, who knows our every thought, who can understand our prayers when we don't even know how to say them. He. Loves. Us. So much! It is impossible to even explain how high and wide and long and deep His love is. And all we have to do is accept it and live in it. Crazy, amazing, unconditional, perfect love.
I also was reading Psalms for devotions that night, and I came across Psalms 71. I've known for a long time that the Psalms are usually prayers or songs, but the night I read this, it hit me again just how much God loves it when we talk with Him. There's so many different ways in which to pray. One can praise the Lord, one can beg of the Lord, one can just have a normal conversation with Him. But the one thing, I think, that is most important, is always thanking Him for the people, relationships, and talents that He has blessed us with. And always let God speak, also. Prayer isn't just about us talking to Him...it's about having a conversation with the Lord.
"Pray continually..." (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Sometimes we think prayer has to be this formal thing. I don't think it always does. Yes, it is important to be still and focus on Who you are talking to. But I think it is also important to always have an open "line of communication" (as I like to call it) with God. I think of them as "pencil prayers", going straight up to God, just really quick and simple. When someone or something pops into your head, pray for them (or it). When you see someone, and you wonder how they're doing, pray for them. I don't believe it's just a coincidence that we see a random person and all of the sudden wonder if they know Jesus. I think it is God working. Pray for that person, and then go talk to them. This is something that I am and will be working on for a long time. I'm excited to see what God has in store for you and me, as we learn to pray specifically and thankfully.
I had one of those moments. It hit me just how blessed we are as Christians to have a God who loves us with an unconditional love, who knows our every thought, who can understand our prayers when we don't even know how to say them. He. Loves. Us. So much! It is impossible to even explain how high and wide and long and deep His love is. And all we have to do is accept it and live in it. Crazy, amazing, unconditional, perfect love.
I also was reading Psalms for devotions that night, and I came across Psalms 71. I've known for a long time that the Psalms are usually prayers or songs, but the night I read this, it hit me again just how much God loves it when we talk with Him. There's so many different ways in which to pray. One can praise the Lord, one can beg of the Lord, one can just have a normal conversation with Him. But the one thing, I think, that is most important, is always thanking Him for the people, relationships, and talents that He has blessed us with. And always let God speak, also. Prayer isn't just about us talking to Him...it's about having a conversation with the Lord.
"Pray continually..." (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Sometimes we think prayer has to be this formal thing. I don't think it always does. Yes, it is important to be still and focus on Who you are talking to. But I think it is also important to always have an open "line of communication" (as I like to call it) with God. I think of them as "pencil prayers", going straight up to God, just really quick and simple. When someone or something pops into your head, pray for them (or it). When you see someone, and you wonder how they're doing, pray for them. I don't believe it's just a coincidence that we see a random person and all of the sudden wonder if they know Jesus. I think it is God working. Pray for that person, and then go talk to them. This is something that I am and will be working on for a long time. I'm excited to see what God has in store for you and me, as we learn to pray specifically and thankfully.
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