“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Colossians 4:2
“Pray continually.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete.” John 16:24
As women, we are constantly on the go. I know as a mom of little ones, my day starts somewhere between 6 and 7 AM, and doesn’t let up until I clock out at the boys’ bedtime. Wherever you are, I know you are on the go…maybe in a different way. You may be working a full time job, a student keeping up with studying and activities, a mom with grown kiddos busy with lots of different things. You may not feel like you have time to pray. You may feel like you don’t know how to pray. You may wonder if praying is even worth the time and effort. I have gone through stages where I have felt all of these things about prayer. Sometimes it can feel counterproductive to STOP and pray when I have so much that needs to get done. Please keep in mind that when I am writing this blog, I am writing as much to myself as to you, dear reader. I am in this with you. I struggle, I get discouraged, and I am weak. Yes, I have been a Christian for as long as I can remember, but it is a constant journey…this walking with the Lord. I don’t have it all figured out by any means. Sometimes, no oftentimes, when a grouchy attitude comes out of me, or a complaint in my heart, or whatever it is, I realize just how much more I need Christ. I need Him more than ever.
Anyhooooo….. back to this topic of prayer. Where are you in your prayer life? I can grow desensitized to how amazing it is that we can pray to THE God of the universe about ANYTHING. Sometimes, I get so “used to” praying, that it becomes a little less magnificent in my mind. But I often feel like God kind of gives me a gentle wake up call and a reminder that prayer is one of the sweetest, most awesome, and miraculous gifts from God. As my Cooper would say, “It’s totally tinsel!” Which is another word for “awesome” in a cute little Christmas movie we watched over the holidays.
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35
Jesus snuck off to be by himself many times during his life on earth to go be alone with his Father. To pray. To talk to God about the cries of his heart. I imagine He asked God for direction, for guidance, for wisdom, for clarity, and for strength. I’m sure there were times where He cried out in anguish, and I’m sure there were times where He thanked God for being in control. I would love to be a fly on the wall in those moments of intimacy with His Father. The scriptures give us a taste of that sweetness by encouraging us to go to God in prayer in anything and everything. Jesus walked away from those times of prayer refreshed, renewed, recharged, and rejuvenated…..
God can do that for you too.
I think we can have some misconceptions about prayer. Do you ever feel like it’s too overwhelming or too impossible to sit still long enough to pray? The beautiful thing about Christ is that instead of thinking about prayer and walking with the Lord as another thing to do on our to-do list, He invites us to make prayer a part of our day. We can take the pressure off of ourselves to sit down and pray for x amount of minutes. He invites us to a relationship with Him. He invites us to talk to Him throughout the day. We can “pray continually” throughout the day and each day may look different from the next in regards to prayer. Also, we can listen to the Holy Spirit’s nudges to pray.
For example, ideally, I would LOVE to wake up a good hour before my boys, before the day starts, and spend time with the Lord reading His Word, journaling, and praying. When that does happen….it’s awesome! I used to be so hard on myself when that didn’t happen. But God is a God of such beautiful grace. There is no rule in the Bible that says I have to spend time with God at a certain time of day, or pray a certain prayer…. you get the idea. What a God of freedom and grace we serve. Most days, one of my little ones comes to my bedside, asking for breakfast. And instead of being frustrated, I can pray as I walk down the stairs….pre-coffee…yes even pre-coffee, and simply check in with God. Some days it might be a simple, “Thank You Lord for a good night’s sleep. Help me be a light for You today.” Some days it might be…”Lord, give me strength.” Some days it might be, “Okay, Lord…do this day through me. I lean on You.” Some days it might be more, some days it might be less. That’s where the “pray continually” comes in….as we go through our day, we can pray….while we are folding laundry, while we are driving (that’s one of my favorite times) while we are exercising, while we are doing the dishes….our day can be a constant conversation with the Lord. Watch for the Holy Spirit’s leading. You may be going throughout your day and someone you love comes to mind….take notice, because that may be the Holy Spirit putting someone on your heart to pray for. You may never see the fruit or the results of that prayer….or you just might!
Now I know there are days where sometimes I just feel the need to sit and pray for an extended period of time….you will too. Go with God in that need. That is God drawing you in. And remember, when we are praying, we are growing closer to Christ. It’s this intimacy that allows Him to shower His love on you.
And dear reader, let me ask you, are you praying for yourself? I know sometimes I have this long list of prayer requests for everybody, but I realize I either don’t know what to pray for myself or I feel selfish praying for myself. God wants you to pray about those concerns on YOUR heart. Yes, pray for others…..of course! By all means! Yes! Yes! But don’t forget to pray for your own needs…..
What I like to do is take a notepad or journal and a pen and go find a quiet, restful spot to sit, and list EVERY concern on my heart….really! Any and every concern is okay! My lists have varied over the years from praying over tangible events coming up, to guidance in big decisions, to wisdom in parenting my kiddos, to help being a sweet wife, and for a hunger to spend time with God. Those things seem big and broad and God cares about those things and He will answer. But He also wants us to pray about the seemingly little things….my lists have had somewhat humorous requests (but not so funny at the time) like help in potty training my little ones, that my babies would sleep all night, to find the right pointe shoe…. nothing is too small. Nothing is too ridiculous. And then there are prayers that come out often in my journal where my pen scribbles down the angst of my heart….where I just do not know what to pray….my heart just feels heavy and drained from my emotions…but writing to the Lord somehow helps me communicate all to God all that is on my heart.
I recently read something that pointed out that we can ask God what to pray about and how to pray about it. That He will lead us even in our prayers. To take that journal and ask, “God what do you want me to pray for today?” Write down whatever comes to mind. This way, you are praying for things that are in God’s will for your life, and therefore, you will see answers to your prayers. I love this because it’s exciting to see what He will put on your heart to pray for. It may be a prayer for something in your life that you don’t see as applicable today, but later in the week, you will need just that. His power and knowledge is so big that our mind cannot comprehend the way He works. We can even pray, “God, shape my hopes, dreams, and desires for my life.” He will.
I want to encourage you to go back and look at your prayer list or your journal if you have one. Note how God has answered. Remembering how He has answered, will help you see His love for you in a tangible way and spur you on to keep praying….. “be watchful and thankful”….watch for His answers. You can let go of trying to solve your dilemmas on your own and wait and watch for Him to work. And thank Him when you see an answer, AND thank Him for the answers that you don’t see yet, but that you know are on the way. You might even pray, “Lord, help me believe that Your answers are on the way.”
This prayer time, a combination of continuous short prayers throughout your day, and some extended time whenever you feel lead, will refresh, renew, recharge, and rejuvenate your heart, mind, soul, and life. This is God’s way of spending time with you, and for you to get to know Him.
Dear reader, I do not know exactly where you are at as far as your prayer life goes. You may already be making prayer a priority in your life, and if so, I just encourage you continue in that. You may be someone who has never prayed a prayer in your life and it may sound lofty, and strange. If that is you, I am saying a prayer for you right now that your heart would try it. Maybe your prayer is, “Lord show me what to pray.” Think of it as just talking to God. It doesn’t have to be pretty. Your prayer today might just be to tell God what’s going on in your heart…whatever that it. And when you reach out to Him in that way, “you will receive and your joy will be complete.” Reaching out to Him in prayer will begin a journey of intimacy with Christ….the One who made you, loves you, and wants to help you in everything.
Prayer: “God of the all, thank you for the amazing gift of Christ, who makes it possible for us to be in a relationship with You. Thank you that you are the answer to every cry of our heart, every dilemma, every issue, and every need. Help me make prayer a priority in my every day life, realizing that praying to You is spending time with You.”
Here are some resources I recommend if you want a guide in your prayer life…
Praying God’s Word by Beth Moore
The Prayer that Changes Everything by Stormie O’Martian
The Power of a Praying Woman by Stormie O’ Martian
I am so thankful for my readers, and I know that many of my readers are years ahead of me as far as wisdom goes! If you are a wiser woman (you know who you are!) I invite you to share in the comments a tip or two about prayer that you would be willing to pass on to us. Maybe it is a way you incorporate prayer into your life, a resource about prayer that you love, or just a word of encouragement about prayer. I value your wisdom so much! Any comments are welcome!
S. Voss says
Thank you for the encouragement to keep praying! Like you, Sarah, I also love to pray while driving – it keeps me calm and courteous to other drivers ( I have been known to have a bit of road rage at times!!), but it also is a quiet, alone time when I can focus. As I pass by a family member’s office building or a friend’s street, I pray over them. God brings all sorts of things to mind when I talk to him while I’m in the car.
One source of prayer that has been absolutely invaluable to my personal spiritual walk, my accountability to others and my transparency has been meeting consistently with a few others to pray. I especially have loved praying with other moms over our children and the schools where they attend. It has been so very exciting to see the Lord answer all kinds of impossible prayers over the years as we have met. When I am giving up hope that my prayers are being heard, someone will have a wonderful answer that we’ve been praying over and it just renews my faith to keep waiting on God’s timing and to keep praying my heart concerns for my children.
Here’s wishing you plenty of sweet prayer-time opportunities this week. He is our daddy and he wants us to talk to Him!
Sarah Marr says
Thank you so much for your words of wisdom and taking the time to encourage through your comment! Thanks for reminding us that praying together is so important! Thank you as always for your encouragement!
Helyn Thompson says
Dear, dear Sarah,
You are definitely going the right direction. Now that I’m alone so much
I talk to God constantly, I “pray without ceasing”. What a great
companion!
Love,
Helyn
Brian Marr says
Helyn,
Thanks so much for your sweet comment! Love your wisdom!