Prayer – a reflection

For the last couple of years, I have been taking to heart and applying 1 Thessalonians 5:17: Never stop praying.

We think of prayer as something we practice in the morning during our quiet time, over a meal, or before we retire for the night. We keep prayer journals to keep track of our prayers. I do all of these in my practice of prayer.

At one point a couple of years ago, I started praying throughout the day. It is not a set or scripted liturgy that I say or have memorized. (I am not saying there is anything wrong with using them). They are usually prayers of thanksgiving, seeking guidance, requests from friends, or cries for help.

I have found it calming to practice believing that God is with me no matter where I am.

Prayer makes this more evident as I talk to God throughout the day.

When praying throughout the day, I am not always able to keep track of my requests because I don’t have my prayer journal in front of me. Usually, the Holy Spirit will prompt me to a prayer I prayed and reveal to me the answer to the prayer. I am always amazed when this happens!

My heart leaps when God answers a prayer. Usually, I pray a prayer, not thinking or knowing how God would answer it. Then, when God answers it, I sense that Spirit telling me, “There’s your answer.”

Prayer should never be our last resort; it should be the first stop when problems arise.

I don’t know what your practice of prayer looks like, but I encourage you to take moments throughout your day to talk to God about that problem or thank Him for His goodness in your life at that moment.

“Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. Expect unexpected things ‘above all that we ask or think.’” – Andrew Murray