We have been spending the last month or so talking and thinking about prayer at Kiowa Creek Community Church. The series was sparked by the National Day of Prayer, but more importantly, because of how important prayer is in our personal lives as well as in the life of the church body. As any relationship requires communication to thrive, so do our lives, both personally and corporately, depend on prayer to keep us on track.
Having said that, I realize that prayer can be an intimidating endeavor. Having read about some of the great prayer warriors of history, I know that my prayer life does not come close to comparing. Rather than feel as if my prayers don't matter, here are some lessons I try to remember, when thinking about prayer:
- God loves me more than I can imagine and loves listening to me pray. From a child, I have been taught that God loves me. Everyone knows that. But I want to suggest something different. God delights in you, and he is excited when you pray. God desires to have a relationship with you, so much so that he was willing to give his Son to make that possible. When you reach out to Him, He is thrilled.
- Quality is more important that quantity. Growing up, our church would sing the hymn, "Blessed Hour of Prayer". Blessed hour of prayer? I was lucky if I could work in five or ten minutes. What I have learned is that, if I can take even two or three minutes and focus on God, that can be a powerful experience. Try this today or tomorrow: The next time you put something in the microwave for two or three minutes, spend that time thinking about what God means to you. Or, in the morning when you put your bread in the toaster, take that 45 seconds or so thinking about your day and asking God to be a part of it. You don't need to spend an hour in prayer for it to count.
- Pray when you are mad or in trouble. These are times when I am often embarrassed to pray. I am uncomfortable expressing my anger to God and, if I come to him when I am in trouble, I am afraid he will say something like, "So now that you are in trouble, you come to me. Where were you yesterday?" God's love for us is not petty, and it is precisely during times of emotion and difficulty that change can be made in our lives most effectively.
